Although Total idled three of its drillships at the onset of COVID-19, its deep-water Skyros rig was brought back online in July, and Maersk Voyager is due to re-start at the end of August. Seadrill West Gemini is also set to resume activity, which previously had been dormant offshore Namibia. Meanwhile, U.S. major Chevron canceled its VALARIS DS-8 offshore rig contract, with plans to focus on cost-managed production at existing fields. Fortunately, recent license extensions granted before COVID-19 to Block 14 (to 2028), Block 17 (to 2045) and Block 15 (to 2032) could alleviate time and financial pressure on the completion of drilling programs, and offshore activities, seismic acquisitions and non-routine production and maintenance operations are expected to ramp up in the latter half of this year. In terms of yielding new discoveries, the 2020 licensing round will continue to put nine offshore blocks in the Kwanza and Lower Congo basins on offer, but on an adjusted timeline.
With 75% of Angola’s production derived offshore, safety and travel protocols have been implemented onshore bases. All incoming personnel must stay on arrival for 14 days at facilities approved by the Ministry of Health. Following a negative test for COVID-19 after the two weeks spent in self-isolation, personnel are allowed to move offshore. Only essential maintenance is authorized, and crew rotations for offshore staff have been extended while scheduled replacements are in self-quarantine at monitored facilities onshore. Operators and service companies alike continue to work closely with the government on health and safety-related matters. As a result of immediate collaboration forged between public and private sectors, no safety incidents have occurred, and Angola’s production has remained largely unaffected, with the exception of compliance with OPEC-issued quotas.
Source: Africa Oil and Power
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