Bolloré Logistics Congo completes oil and gas logistics operation

Jan 25, 2017: Bolloré Logistics has been selected by Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), the world's largest shipbuilding company and supplier of offshore facilities, to manage the transport of a Floating Production Unit (FPU) as part of the Moho Nord exploration project on behalf of Total E&P.

The 60,000-tonne unit—its hull measuring 250 m long, 44 m wide and 18 m deep—was floated onto a DockWise semi-submerging vessel in Ulsan, South Korea. The FPU made a 10-day stopover in Port Gentil, Gabon, where several operations were carried out, including import formalities for the oil platform floating unit and its material, import formalities for material of various origins and re-export to Congo, and relieving the crew.

The FPU was then towed by three BOSKALIS tug vessels from Port Gentil to its implementation site offshore Pointe-Noire. After arrival at Pointe-Noire one month and a half after, the delivery to HHI Congo was completed at sea in the territorial waters of the Republic of the Congo.

Bolloré Transport & Logistics Congo then took care of all of the administrative and customs operations related to the import of the floating production unit, the material and the crew in coordination with the various parties involved in this large-scale operation.

HHI will then handle the engineering, provisioning, construction and installation of the facility, which will be deployed in the Moho Nord field, 80 kilometre off the coast of the Republic of the Congo.

The direct involvement of both agencies from the Bolloré Logistics network in Gabon and the Republic of the Congo played a key role in the successful transport of the FPU, with a value of $1.3 billion. Significant logistics and communications resources and experienced personnel from the Group were allocated to this project with HHI.

Benoit Mbelo, Oil & Gas manager of Bolloré Transport & Logistics Congo, “The success of this operation complements the efforts made in recent years focusing on the quality of our services. We strived to provide our strongest expertise in adherence with the standards and rules governing this type of operation and to the satisfaction of our clients. We are especially satisfied considering the project is ahead of schedule. ‘First oil’ is expected midway through the first quarter of 2017.”