N-Sea, a Netherlands-based underwater solutions provider, is contributing to the development of the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline (NMGP) project through survey operations. The company has collaborated closely with ship owner Rederij Groe to transform the seismic support vessel, 7-Waves, into a research vessel equipped with advanced equipment for this project. According to N-Sea, the project is being conducted with a reduced crew on board the vessel, with all data being transferred to the N-Sea data center onshore.
Daily meetings are held with the client’s representative, the FEED engineer, the client, and the company’s data processors to assess data quality and route alignment, N-Sea said in a statement.
“N-Sea has expanded its operational area to West Africa by commencing survey operations to support the prestigious Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline project,” emphasized N-Sea.
N-Sea emphasized the significance of the project, noting that the pipeline is set to connect multiple countries and provide intermittent onshore returns for compression as a base case. The Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline is an ambitious project aimed at helping Africa become self-sufficient in terms of energy needs and benefiting over 400 million people in West Africa. It will connect 11 countries in the region to Nigerian gas sources.
Morocco is set to host 1,672 kilometers of the 5,600-kilometer-long pipeline. The project has garnered support from numerous countries, with agreements in place to ensure its implementation. In June, Morocco’s Hydrocarbon and Mines Office ONHYM, along with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), signed Memoranda of Understanding with petroleum operators in various countries, including Guinea, Liberia, Benin, and Côte d’Ivoire.
Similar agreements were signed the previous year with other countries, including Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Sierra Leone, and Ghana. The agreements reflect these countries’ shared commitment to realizing this strategic energy project. Once completed, the gas pipeline is expected to become the world’s longest offshore pipeline and the second-longest overall.
The NNPC confirmed receiving financing from the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) for the NMGP development in June 2023. The NNPC expressed its intention to use a portion of the proceeds for payments related to offshore and onshore survey services contracts in the South.
The company issued a tender for conducting reconnaissance and oceanographic surveys, as well as topographical and geotechnical surveys onshore, related to the offshore segment from Nigeria to Senegal, including landfalls and onshore routes to compression stations (CS).
