Gabon’s existing oil-export infrastructure is being given a US$24 million overhaul.
The large-scale modernisation project being carried out in Gamba, a small town on the south of the Ndogo lagoon, is being led by the Gabon subsidiary of UK-based oil and exploration company Assala Energy. The company is providing the construction, installation and engineering expertise for the new offshore single-point mooring buoy.
According to Africa Oil and Power, a site inspection last year revealed that the existing buoy, installed more than 10 years ago, needed to be replaced. Single-point mooring facilitates the handling of liquid cargo for tanker ships.
The project forms part of Assala Gabon’s goal of modernising key infrastructure in a bid to produce Gabonese oil in a sustainable manner. The company operates five oil-exploration licences in Gabon, and is the Central African nation’s second-largest producer.
Preparation work is being done for the installation of new mooring chains and anchoring points on the seabed. The new infrastructure is scheduled to be operational by end-2020, after the new buoy is towed on-site.
