U.K.-based operator Assala Energy announced it will spend $24 million to modernize Gabon’s Gamba export infrastructure in the south of the country. The Gamba export buoy is crucial to the Gabonese economy, as 30% of the country’s crude oil exports passes through it.
The large-scale modernization project provides for the construction, installation and engineering works of a brand new, offshore single point mooring buoy. A full inspection carried out in 2019 revealed that the previous buoy, installed over ten years ago, needed a thorough overhaul.
The new single point mooring buoy is due to be delivered to Port Gentil by the end of October, before being towed on-site in Gamba. Meanwhile, preparation work is progressing with the installation of new mooring chains and anchoring points on the seabed. The new infrastructure will be operational at the end of the year.
“Despite the global economic crisis, the uncertainties linked to the price of oil and the current health crisis, we remain very confident in Gabon’s capacity to stay a strong petroleum player in Central Africa. This investment also testifies to the concrete progress of our program to modernize key infrastructure, in order to produce Gabonese oil in a clean and sustainable manner,” said Daniel Marini, Managing Director of Assala Gabon.
The engineering project requires a complex intervention, relying heavily on the technical know-how and expertise of Assala Energy’s Gabonese workforce, combined with outside support from external consultants.
