FIRST E&P announces recruitment of community personnel as trainees on its FPSO

As part of our commitment to enhance economic livelihood within our neighbouring communities, the NNPC/FIRST E&P OMLs 83 & 85 Joint Venture (“JV”) is pleased to announce that five indigenes of Bayelsa State have been recruited as trainees on our leased Floating Production Storage and Offloading (“FPSO”) unit which is expected to start operations soon. The FPSO was leased by the JV from Yinson (the world’s 6th largest FPSO leasing company, with offices around the world, including Nigeria and Ghana) for deployment on the Anyala and Madu fields within Oil Mining Leases 83 & 85, offshore Nigeria. Yinson will also be responsible for providing the operations and maintenance of the FPSO.


The five indigenes recruited from Bayelsa State through the Corporate Social Performance initiative of FIRST E&P represent about 42% of the persons recruited as trainees in this first batch. The trainees will shortly travel to Singapore, where they will be exposed over the next few months to both classroom teaching and practical shipyard work and FPSO systems training. They will in the process earn several international certificates in the Oil & Gas and Maritime industry. The training will be carried out in partnership with Keppel Shipyard in Singapore, which has over a 100 years’ experience. On completion of their training, the trainees will possess the requisite skills and practical learning required to work in their functional areas in the offshore industry. They will also be armed with the knowledge of Yinson work systems, safety standards, policies and procedures required for their positions on board the FPSO. The trainees will after the training, sail back with the FPSO following certain ongoing upgrade works.


FIRST E&P is the operator of the JV and holds 40% of the participating interest in the Assets while the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) holds the remaining 60% participating interest in the Assets. The Assets are located within the shallow offshore region of the Niger Delta and contain two main fields: Anyala field to the South East and Madu to the North-West.


FIRST E&P has the, following eight “KEFFES” communities, Ezetu 1, Ezetu 2, Ekeni, Foropa, Koluama1, Koluama 2, Sangana and Fish Town as its neighbouring communities for the purpose of its corporate social performance and as a consequence of the prior relationship of these communities with Chevron from whom its interest in the Assets were purchased.


“KEFFES” is an acronym adopted for the eight communities under the Chevron initiated Global Memorandum of Understanding (“GMoU”) in 2005, by combining the first letter of each community’s name. The communities under the GMoU are governed by the KEFFES Rural Development Foundation (KRDF). Since its establishment, KRDF has made significant impact as a veritable local institution, interfacing between the constituent communities and corporate entities with businesses around the enclave, as well as driving community development initiatives in the KEFFES communities.


FIRST E&P’s Social Performance and Community Development intervention which is focused on three thematic areas being education, health and economic enhancement, is borne out of a strong commitment to improve its environment and positively impact lives around it.