NigerStar 7 Launches Vessel to Deepen Local Content  

By Peter Uzoho

NigerStar 7, a frontline operator in the services section of the oil and gas industry has officially renamed and launched its newly acquired vessel to boost capability in the maritime segment of the oil and gas industry.

The vessel named NigerStar 7 Adaba, is the most powerful Nigerian flagged DP2 Anchor Handler (140mT bollard pull) owned by an indigenous company and operating in Nigerian waters. It has a 52-passenger-on-board accommodation capacity, 460m² deck space, and an Electronic Fuel Monitoring System. The facility is the first of its kind to explore Nigerian waters and has been hailed as a major complement to the local content policy of the federal government.  

Speaking at the launch/renaming ceremony held at Nigerdock Shipyard in Lagos, the Chief Executive Officer, NigerStar 7, Mr. Yann Cottart, said the mission of the organisation was to serve Nigeria’s offshore oil and gas industry by executing the largest and most complex EPIC deep-water projects.

Cottart said: “And today with this new addition to our fleet, we are closer to our goal as we become the only Nigerian Tier 1 EPCI contractor with a number of modern assets 100 per cent owned and positioned in the country. With this investment, NigerStar 7 is creating employment opportunities for marine personnel, our teams onshore and contractors/suppliers providing support services to our vessel.”

On his part, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Mr. Simbi Wabote, extolled the partnership between NigerStar 7 and Nigerdock Shipyard, and called for more collaborations that could deliver on the goal of growing local content in the maritime, oil and gas industry.

Wabote stated: “We must commend NigerStar 7 for its renewed commitment to local content practice and the noticeable repositioning it has undertaken to project the value proposition it offers as an oil and gas service provider of high repute.”

He commended NigerStar 7 for its commitment to Nigeria and called on other companies to emulate the example of the company in making visible investment in the Nigerian economy.

Also speaking at the event, the vessel’s god-mother and NigerStar 7 Legal Counsel, Mrs. Olapeju Adenuga, said: “the name of our beloved vessel originates from its new habitat, Nigeria. Adaba emanates from the native Yoruba language of the western people of Nigeria and refers to the bird, ‘Dove.’ The dove is symbolic as an embodiment of hope, reliability, guidance and loyalty. The sturdy bird also characterises the strong build of our vessel.”

In accordance with NigerStar 7’s commitment to the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act of 2010, the personnel on NigerStar 7 Adaba, including its Captain are Nigerians. The crew have a robust understanding of the peculiarities of the Nigerian environment and are set on delivery of quality service to clients.