Oil vessel interventions in the capital equals the 2016 record, a situation that has exceeded the capacity of local labor
Adzubenam Villullas 04.09.2019 | 22:31
Port Authority Delegation in Aberdeen LP / DLP
The naval repair companies of the Port of La Luz are turning to workers in the Peninsula to meet the high demand for workers that currently exist in the offshore oil sector in the capital of Gran Canaria and in the absence of qualified employees in the Archipelago. Juan Francisco Martín, commercial director of the Port Authority of Las Palmas, said yesterday that the business is at a good time, to such an extent that "the different companies have hired extra staff to meet the deadlines for the orders." However, the port area of the capital has hosted a total of 16 projects for the repair of pre-airline vessels during the year. A figure that equals the record obtained in 2016, Martin explained, so they expect this to be exceeded in the remainder of 2019.
The commercial director of the Port estimates that at the end of the year twenty contracts can be reached, as far as offshore repairs are concerned. However, the opening of new oil fields on the coasts of several West African countries means "a boost" to this industry in the capital, Martin said from Aberdeen, Scotland. A delegation from the Port Authority of Las Palmas and several island businessmen have traveled this week to this city to attend the SPE Offshore Europe Conference and Exhibition, the largest trade fair in the sector in Europe, in search of new clients.
To meet this growing demand, companies in the oil repair sector have had to resort to their subsidiaries in the shipyards of Vigo, Cádiz or the ports of Asturias in order to carry out the work, Martín said. The truth is that in the Port of the capital, repairs are being carried out on up to four drilling vessels: the West Gemini, the Ensco DS4, the Deepwater Mykonos and the Deepwater Corcovado. All of them docked throughout the Reina Sofía dike. To these should be added minor maintenance contracts in other drills and complementary vessels within the offshore industry also present in the capital.
In addition to these four vessels, the Port has hosted another 12 drilling rigs this week. So, with 16 units between ships and platforms, La Luz repeated the record of berths of this type reached last March. A figure that decreased yesterday afternoon with the departure of Deepsea Yantai.
This classic platform, tetrapod type, has remained just three days in La Luz. His stay in the capital of Gran Canaria has meant the only stopover carried out during his trip between the shipyards in China where it has been built and those in Norway, where he will join a new oil extraction campaign. This fact is a true reflection of the boom that the Port has taken within the international routes of the offshore sector.
Precisely, Martin highlighted yesterday the potential that has taken the area called Msgbc Basin - formed by Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea Bissau and Guinea Conakry. "It has become the largest area of deposits in Africa and will have a great development in the next five years," explained the commercial director of La Luz.
This situation "brings enough" the deposits in operation to the Archipelago, Martin said. Until now, the areas in which the ships that visited the island were working were mainly in northeastern Brazil, the Gulf of Guinea and southern Africa. This change in trend will facilitate that La Luz becomes an authentic logistics and services HUB in the Mid-Atlantic for all the companies involved in this sector.
"A great cake", in the words of Martín, that is about to explode and that supposes a fan of possibilities for the companies of the industry in La Luz. As a reflection of this trend, the Port Authority managed to sign an agreement with Valaris, current leader in the sector in the World with 82 drilling ships, through which the capital of Gran Canaria has become its logistics and services base in the Mid-Atlantic.
On the other hand, the lack of skilled labor in the Archipelago is an issue that has been worrying for years. Last May, the Government of the Canary Islands and Maritime Cluster presented a report on the status of professional training around the blue economy, where the naval repair sector is integrated. A first step towards the specialization of education in the Islands in this area.
In search of clients in Scotland
The Port Authority of Las Palmas - together with Astican, Zamakona CCB, Transcoma, Canarship and Bergé - this week goes to the Scottish city of Aberdeen with the intention of selling in the SPE Offshore Europe Conference and Exhibition the benefits of La Luz among the great of the oil sector and thus attract new customers for consignees and shipyards. Gran Canaria returns to the most important fair in the sector in Europe after eight years of absence, said Juan Francisco Martín, commercial director of the Port. "It was a reflection of the break in the sector for years, but for two years there has been a revival that we are taking advantage of," he said. An appointment that will culminate tomorrow and will gather about 36,000 attendees in the different stands belonging to more than 900 suppliers. | A. V.
(20min delay)