Financed by Nigeria’s Fidelity Bank and agreed with the help of Clarkson’s subsidiary RS Platou Africa (RSP) , LATC expects the deal will set “new standards” in West African offshore operations by bringing modern technology to the Gulf of Guinea offshore region, where assets are often “are substantially older than those operating elsewhere in the world.”
“Our aim is to redefine the concept of quality tonnage in the Gulf of Guinea and particularly in Nigeria,” said Gbolahan Shaba, coo of LATC Marine. “We plan to locally develop the necessary skill sets that will sustain our quality service to the most demanding clientele who run very complex operations in the most challenging environments.
“Ultimately, our strategy is to attain the capacity to build and maintain quality tonnage in Nigeria. We anticipate strong demand for repair and docking services in our region and we plan to create the facilities to meet that demand, professionally and safely”.
Head of Fidelity Bank’s Transport & Shipping Division Mike Nnaji said: “This agreement and acquisition further marks our support toward professional development of Offshore Oil & Gas marine support in Nigeria within the local content framework. The quality of the assets speaks for itself and the professional management is evident from the positive reaction of the Oil & Gas companies whose operation they already support and will be supporting.
“These vessels will show the value and effectiveness of assets that are built to UK North Sea standards which are efficient, environmentally-friendly and economic to operate. Fidelity Bank will continue to stimulate and support this development in line with the Nigerian Government’s local content initiative”.
Simon Pethick, head of RSP’s offshore support vessel & drilling units division, added: “For some years now, we have seen the need for Innovation in vessel designs of higher quality & efficiency and especially sustainable services throughout Africa’s west coast operations. Hence, new - and newly built – tonnage is needed. At the same time, both businesses and governments need long-term stability to grow.
“This can only happen if the region develops the right skills and focuses on long-term relationships between owners, operators, suppliers, governments and financial institutions for the development of long term sustainability.”
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