Bourbon to support exploration drilling off Namibia

French offshore vessel player Bourbon has been awarded a new fully integrated logistics contract by an oil and gas major to support its exploration campaign and the drilling of its first well off southern Namibia.

The contract’s scope covers international shipment and customs clearance of the equipment required for the drilling campaign from Houston, Singapore, and Antwerp to Walvis Bay, Namibia.

It also covers logistics base services such as handling and lifting, equipment management, storage and warehousing, waste management, and tank cleaning.

The company will also supply three platform supply vessels – the Bourbon Diamond, Bourbon Ruby, and Bourbon Topaz – to the project.

The operations will be supported by its Bourbon Logistics Suite data management system which enables all logistics operations to be planned, executed, and controlled from end to end.

The logistics base is located in Walvis Bay and will employ almost 50 shore-based staff, almost all of which are Namibians.

The client was left undisclosed but there have been several announcements regarding offshore drilling in the country earlier this month.

Namely, it was revealed that South Africa’s privately owned oil exploration company Rhino Resources is set to begin its first drilling campaign in Namibia’s Orange Basin by the first quarter of 2025.

Another development in the country this month is TotalEnergies starting its drilling activities on an exploration well in the Orange Basin.