MODEC deepens localisation in oil & gas industry

…as 16 young oil and gas workers acquire skills in Brazil during Feb.

Sixteen young Ghanaian oil and gas sector workers have been selected to be trained in Brazil on the operations of Floating Production, Storage and Offloading vessels (FPSOs).

The initiative by MODEC Production Services is aimed at ensuring that the selected trainees acquire knowledge on modern operations and develop the right skill-sets and performance mindset needed on the job.

The comprehensive six-month training programme, which is in support of government’s policy of deepening localisation in the petroleum sector, is targetted at developing the capabilities of local professionals with the right skill-sets through on-the-job training and best practice transfer at MODEC’s state of the art facilities in Brazil.

First of its kind in the local oil and gas sector, the initiative is being spearheaded by the MODEC Production Services Ghana JV Ltd. (MPSG), in partnership with MODEC do Brazil, the Petroleum Commission and Tullow Ghana Ltd.

This training initiative will see batches of MPSG staff seconded to MODEC Brazil for a minimum of six months each, to gain exposure and knowledge from the business in Brazil. 

MODEC Production Services Ghana JV. Ltd. is a subsidiary of the MODEC Group and an operator of FPSO Kwame Nkrumah and FPSO Prof. John Evans Atta Mills on behalf of Tullow Ghana Ltd.

MODEC has been providing competitive floating solutions for the offshore oil and gas industry world-wide, and is recognised as a leading specialist for FPSO vessels, Floating LNGs (FLNGs), Tension Leg Platforms (TLPs), and Production Semi-submersibles.

MODEC has 10 FPSOs and one huge FSO vessel afloat in Brazilian waters for production service to Petrobras, SHELL and TOTAL. In addition, it has two modern FPSOs under construction for the pre-salt fields. MODEC Brazil is the number-one offshore service provider in Brazil. 

Speaking at a ceremony in Accra to officially inaugurate the programme, Deputy Minister of Energy in charge of Finance and Infrastructure, Joseph Cudjoe, emphasised that in future, training locals will become a competitive tool for companies in the sector; and that there is a growing chorus in many emerging oil and gas countries to train their locals instead of bringing in expatriates to work.

MODEC, he mentioned, sees the initiative as an opportunity to use Ghana as a reference point, where it can change the game in terms of compliance with local content laws and training the indigenes to participate actively in the sector.

Head of MODEC Global Operations, Takashi Nishino, said the company has been making considerable efforts at improving production services and localisation. 

“We are intending to continue and even accelerate our activities, and this training programme is a very important part of it.”

Mr. Nishino stated that MODEC has a clear vision to deepen MPSG’s presence as a base - not only for Ghana, but also for its future expansion in West Africa and Africa as a whole.