JDR Wins Umbilical Order in W. Africa Deepwater

Royal Niger Emerging Technologies, a Nigerian oil and gas service company, has awarded JDR a fast track contract supporting the West African Abo project for the manufacture of a 1.55-kilometer hybrid of steel tube and thermoplastic umbilical.  The umbilical, designed to include a combination of hydraulic control and chemical hoses, low voltage signal cables and a central bundle of steel tube chemical supply lines, is set to be delivered to the Abo field within the first quarter of 2015.

The umbilical will connect an existing Subsea Distribution Unit (SDU) to a new well through the use of two umbilical termination units (UTA). JDR will manufacture and load-out the umbilical on a 9.2-meter installation reel from their deep-water, quayside facility in Hartlepool, U.K.

The project is reportedly a first for Nigerian Content as it also provides for the training of Nigerian nationals in the integration, testing, installation and commissioning of the umbilical.  This training will take place at JDR’s facilities in Hartlepool and will see selected candidates gain valuable knowledge in key activities related to the final stages of the project before load-out and beyond.

Addressing the contract in a statement, Royal Niger said, “We see this contract as the first step in a bold move to domicile umbilical technology and services in Nigeria through the effective collaboration with JDR to deliver the umbilical product and technology transfer to the Nigerian market.”

Abo is Nigeria’s first deepwater oil field located in the south eastern part of Oil Mining Lease (OML) 125, about 55 kilometers off the coast in water depths up to 780 meters.