By Emmanuella Anokam
Stakeholders in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry have called for increased adoption of new technologies and sustained investment in human capacity development to improve operational efficiency and drive economic growth.
They made the call on Thursday during a strategic panel session on “Driving Energy Innovation: Technology-Powered Pathways for Oil and Gas” at the Nigeria Oil and Gas (NOG) Energy Week in Abuja.
Chairman of Oilserv Group, Dr Emeka Okwuosa, said technology adoption must improve speed, safety and sustainability across engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) operations.
Okwuosa, represented by the company’s Group Business Development and Commercial Manager, Mr Cheta Okwuosa, emphasised the need to deliberately develop indigenous manpower capable of deploying and managing advanced technologies.
He said Oilserv had progressed from manual operations to semi-automatic and fully automated systems, recording significant efficiency gains on projects including the OB3 and Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) gas pipeline.
He said that the company had also deployed artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled leak detection, intrusion detection and remote monitoring systems to support gas commercialisation.
“In our operations, we started with manual, and then at some point we deployed the automatic system, which we started with the semi-automatic.
“The company later mastered it and deployed it in the OB3 project. With that, the company realised some gains, but not the optimum. In AKK, we used a combination of the two, the semi-automatic and the fully automatic systems.
“Now that we are veering into gas commercialisation, we have also deployed leak detection, intrusion detection, and other AI operational systems,” he said.
Also speaking, Managing Director of GIL Group, Mr Gbolahan Lawal, urged operators to embrace data-driven innovation by replacing outdated analogue processes with modern technologies.
Lawal said continuous training and workforce empowerment were essential to improving profitability and competitiveness in the industry.
Mr Atiemoria Ebhodaghe, Lead Strategic Consultant at Acepontis Ltd., said adoption of advanced technologies among marine logistics operators remained uneven because of financial constraints.
He said international oil companies and leading vessel owners had embraced technologies such as dynamic positioning systems, remote vessel data exchange and automated fuel optimisation to improve safety and efficiency.
He said many indigenous marine operators were unable to invest in sensor-based technologies and satellite monitoring because of high costs.
“This has created a two-tier market where technologically advanced fleets secure long-term offshore contracts, while older vessels compete for short-term jobs with higher operating costs,” he said.
Ebhodaghe said that AI-powered predictive maintenance was helping operators detect engine and equipment faults before breakdowns, thereby reducing vessel downtime and ensuring timely delivery of offshore drilling and production projects.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
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Edited by Kadiri Abdulrahman