Following the drill-rigs
Norwegian company Scana, a listed industrial owner company in the ocean industries, has decided to commit to Namibia through the establishment of local subsidiary; PSW Namibia. The new entity falls under Scana’s Mongstad-based PSW Technology company, a leader in services and solutions for the global drilling industry.Late in June Scana announced that it is expanding internationally to Namibia, “which is emerging as an exploration hotspot followed by recent deepwater oil discoveries,” the company stock notice informed investors. Scana said that PSW Technology is following key customers including Odfjell Drilling and Northern Ocean, and has established a, “strategically important subsidiary in Namibia.”
On the very same day PSW Namibia was also nnounced as the main sponsor for the Namibia Youth Energy Forum (NYEF), which is endorsed by state oil company Namcor to facilitate access to job and study opportunities for young Namibians within the energy industry. NYEF founder and executive director Fanuel Shinedima said: “This sponsorship will enable us to expand our programs and reach more young Namibians, providing them with the skills and opportunities needed to succeed in the energy sector.”
Arild Helland, vice president for business development at PSW Technology signed the agreement withh Shinedima and said; “We are excited to see the positive impact this partnership will bring.” According to a statement PSW Technology will invest in direct training and employment opportunities for young Namibians.
Richard Cornell, managing director of PSW Technology said that, “recent deepwater oil discoveries off the Namibian coast, coupled with ambitious drilling plans from international operators, are positioning Namibia as an exploration hotspot. PSW Technology`s establishment is driven by expected deliveries of riser maintenance and the potential of providing other services,” and also that “this strategic establishment is important for meeting our customers' demand to deliver our high-quality services worldwide, especially offshore Namibia. This is based upon the forecasted high activity here,” he said.
In December 2022 PSW Technology sold a deepwater riser system to Northern Ocean, whose semi-submersible drilling rig Deepsea Bollsta, managed by Odfjell Drilling, was used by Shell to drill offshore Namibia in 2023. The Deepsea Bollsta is contracted to return to the Orange Basin toward the end of the year, Northern Ocean announced in June.