Oilserv Limited has commenced offshore pipeline installation for the expansion of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Gas Transmission System (GTS-1), marking a significant milestone in efforts to strengthen gas supply infrastructure to Bonny Island ahead of increased liquefaction capacity under NLNG’s Train Seven project.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Nigeria Oil and Gas (NOG) Energy Week in Abuja, Managing Director of Oilserv Limited, Dr Kenechukwu Nwangwu, said the project would expand the gas transmission network feeding the Bonny Island liquefaction plant, enhancing Nigeria’s capacity to process and export natural gas.
He described the shallow-water pipeline installation as one of the company’s most technically demanding projects, involving specialised marine construction, offshore logistics and precision engineering.
According to Nwangwu, Oilserv is laying about six kilometres of offshore pipeline across shallow waters using barges and specialised installation equipment, with thousands of pipeline joints already transported from Port Harcourt to Bonny Island for installation.
“The GTS-1 expansion introduces another level of engineering complexity because it involves shallow-water pipeline installation and specialised marine construction activities,” he said. “It is a major milestone for both Oilserv and Nigeria’s gas industry.”
The project forms part of NLNG’s broader strategy to increase gas supply to its processing facilities as Train Seven moves closer to completion. The expansion is expected to improve feed gas availability, supporting higher liquefaction capacity and reinforcing Nigeria’s position in the global LNG market.
Beyond the NLNG project, Nwangwu said Oilserv was making significant progress on other strategic gas infrastructure developments, particularly the 614-kilometre Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline, one of the Federal Government’s flagship projects under the Decade of Gas initiative.
He disclosed that mainline welding on the AKK pipeline had been completed, with the company now focused on pre-commissioning and commissioning activities ahead of first gas.
“We are working closely with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, government stakeholders and our partners to ensure the pipeline is delivered within the government’s timeline,” he said.
The AKK pipeline is expected to strengthen domestic gas transportation, expand gas-fired power generation, support industrialisation and improve energy access across northern Nigeria.
Oilserv is also executing the Ubeta gas development project for TotalEnergies while advancing work on the ANOH Renaissance and ANOH-NNPC gas projects, further expanding its footprint across Nigeria’s gas value chain.
Nwangwu said the company has continued to invest in advanced construction technologies, becoming one of the country’s first indigenous engineering firms to deploy automatic and semi-automatic welding systems for large-scale pipeline projects. He added that Oilserv is increasingly integrating digital engineering platforms and artificial intelligence into project design, analytics and document management to improve efficiency, safety and project delivery.
Despite Nigeria’s abundant gas reserves, Nwangwu identified infrastructure, rather than resource availability, as the principal constraint to domestic gas utilisation.
According to him, expanding pipelines, gas processing facilities and distribution networks remains critical to ensuring that gas reaches power plants, industries and households.
“Every pipeline installed expands the country’s capacity to move gas efficiently from producing fields to processing plants and ultimately to industrial users,” he said.
He also commended NLNG’s increased supply of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) to the domestic market, describing it as an important step toward improving cooking gas availability and supporting Nigeria’s broader energy transition objectives.