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Delivering through innovation
Lloyd’s Register strengthens the offshore
industry with transformative technologies
Goz Gwam
Business Development Manager
for Sub-Saharan Africa, Marine and Offshore
By Effat Mostafa
The offshore industry has experienced
mixed fortunes in recent years.
On one hand, offshore energy has
been hit hard by a dramatic fall in
world oil and gas prices; on the other,
renewable energy, notably offshore
wind, has enjoyed a surge in interest
and investment. At the same time,
the world is continuing to see and
grasp the potential of novel technologies
like floating nuclear power
generation.
Through it all, Lloyd’s Register (LR)
has showcased great capability in
managing complex projects, and a
proven ability to put together qualified
teams with exactly the right mix
of skills, knowledge and experience to
get the job done. In an exclusive sitdown
interview with Marasi News,
Goz Gwam, Business Development
Manager for Sub-Saharan Africa,
Marine and Offshore elaborated on
the role of LR to enhance its competitive
value in the offshore sector.
In your opinion, how do you evaluate
the offshore and marine industry
in Sub-Saharan Africa?
Positively, especially when you look
at it from an economic perspective.
There are definitely green shoots,
despite the remnants of the mercurial
commodity prices that have cast
a shadow on the industry over the
last few years and simple indicators
corroborate this. For example, approximately
25% of FPSO’s in operation
around the world are in African
waters and to be specific, 18 of them
are in West Africa, while another 14
are in Angola. Looking at East Africa,
the Coral South FLNG is expected in
2021 and the offshore Area 1 project,
which would be a major boost
to the economy of Mozambique and
entire industry especially in the development
of the LNG supply chain,
is also impending.
To summarize, the M&O industry
is in its infancy, especially when
compared to other mature areas like
Asia. As agricultural and manufacturing
sectors pick up and intercountry
trade among SSA countries increase,
the full potential of the M&O industry
will soon be realized. However,
for now, it continues to be primarily
driven by the oil & gas sector.
To what extent did LR succeed in
enhancing classification standards
and what are LR’s remarkable offshore
projects in that area?
LR has had a significant contribution
in addressing pain points of our
clients without compromising our
core goal of safety assurance. Engaging
clients through our technology
qualification approach, we have
assessed novel and creative solutions
that they can utilize, thus giving
all stakeholders the required level
of confidence in the deployment of
these solutions to optimize their operations.
In terms of our most remarkable
offshore projects, the Sub-Saharan
Africa region is a particular strongpoint,
with the most notable being
the Eni Coral South FLNG. We are
also mid-way through a project on
Risk Based Inspection for a classed
asset. Simply put, we stay customer
focused, technology driven and remain
dedicated to innovation.
Can we have an overview of LR’s
market share in Sub-Saharan
Africa and how many offshore and
marine projects you have handled
in 2018?
With our business cutting across
several industries in the area, and
an absence of sufficient data from
other players, it can be a bit difficult
to provide exact numbers. However,
in regards to FPSO’s, we have about
15% of the market in Nigeria. With
respect to projects in 2018, we have
the Coral FLNG in East Africa, which
is one of our major ongoing projects
and approximately three life extension
projects.
Can you explain the important role
of LR in reinforcing technology in
the offshore sector?
We continue to reinforce our position
as a technology leader through
our strategic advanced initiatives
that include human analytics, connected
assets and remote inspection
technologies. We take it a step further
through our safety accelerator
programme, which encourages startups
to developing innovative & digital
technology for safety.
What competitive benefit does
LR’s innovative services provide
the Sub-Saharan Africa market?
The value we add to our clients’ operations
cuts costs and reduces time
We provide the bridge between two disciplines;
marrying our verification and classification
experience in an overarching plan that treats the
asset as a single, unified entity"
in activity that is otherwise typically
known to be costly and time consuming.
One example of this can be seen
in our guidance notes on Unmanned
Aerial Vehicles (UAV), something
that formed the starting point in the
planning of the successful inspection
of a boom and flare tip which was
witnessed by LR surveyors.
How do you guarantee implementing
high safety standards while
coping with the new technologies?
Our Technology Qualification takes
care of this. We provide rigorous risk
management that entails identifying
and assessing uncertainties (including
the level of uncertainty introduced)
and then planning and implementing
appropriate risk response.
What are your recommendations
to enhance the marine and offshore
industry in Sub-Saharan Africa?
Firstly, any recommendation needs
to be based on the prevailing business
environment. Governments will
need to implement the right policies,
focus on ensuring stable regulatory
regimes, invest and develop its human
capital capabilities and finally
improve security. Coupled with an
equipped work force, these actions
will support and attract needed investment
and required long-term
commitment to sustain the economic
gains
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