2011 Annual Report - SBM Offshore

3.9.3 Local content
In a number of the countries in which SBM Offshore operates, host governments now set minimum levels for local
content on oil and gas projects. The Company has always endeavoured to employ local people and to contract
with local vendors. Now it is working with governments and other industry partners in several countries to ensure
that local people and local communities benefit directly from its presence as a major employer and purchaser of
goods and services.
Angola
The Company has been present in Angola since 1968. Over the last four decades, its activities there have
included FPSO leasing, offshore installation and the construction of buoys, steel structures for turrets and
topsides modules. Through continuous engagement and enduring relationships the Company has contributed to
local communities by creating jobs and training opportunities.
In 1997, the Company formed a joint venture with Sonangol, the Angolan National Oil Company. Out of this union
came Sonasing, a company established to promote Angolan participation in oil and gas activities, acquire FPSOs
and FSOs and charter them to the Angolan oil industry.
In 2003 SBM Offshore and Sonangol formed OPS Serviços de Produção de Petróleos Ltd (OPS) in a joint
venture, allowing both partners to operate and manage the Angolan fleet together. OPS also introduced training
programmes to provide craft skills, safety training and offshore experience to a new generation of Angolan
workers.
An expanding pool of skilled local labour was needed to maximise Angolan economic development resulting from
the oil and gas sector, and through a third joint venture, the Porto Amboim Estaleiros Navais Lda (PAENAL) yard,
the two partners extended the existing training programme. Together, they created a dedicated training facility in
addition to a much-needed fabrication and integration yard. This training school was located in Porto Amboim to
train locally hired people, particularly those previously unemployed. The first training programmes launched
covered welding, fitting, rigging and scaffolding.
Newly trained workers begin with structural works. As they progress and gain experience, they move to more
skilled labour related to topsides fabrication. The Porto Amboim Training School has capacity to teach around 150
trainees a year, with most courses taught to groups of 30 students and lasting 12 weeks. At the end of courses
students undertake competency tests and those who graduate are issued with certificates. The success rate for
most courses is more than 80%. All new students start their time at the school with two weeks of HSE training.
In 2011 SBM Offshore, Sonangol and a new partner DSME (Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering)
announced further investments to develop the PAENAL yard and to increase the scope of training to cover a
wider range of technical skills to support dramatic growth in the yard’s workforce.
The PAENAL (Porto Amboim Estaleiros Navais Lda) FPSO integration yard is one of the most significant
investments ever made in fabrication in Angola. It delivers a major competitive advantage for the Company and its
two partners. On completion, this ambitious, groundbreaking joint venture will strengthen Angola’s ability to
support its growing offshore oil and gas sector.
PAENAL’s development has been planned in two phases allowing for a steady increase in capability and
capacity. On completion it will become the only yard in Angola capable of fabricating topsides modules with a
This is a customized selection from the SBM Offshore N.V. Annual Report 2011
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