The Grand Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) project is a gas field, straddling the border between Mauritania and Senegal. It is considered the largest gas field in West Africa, with an approved reserve of 15 TCF.
The work in the project revolves around four main components; construction of the breakwater that surrounds the deposit area, manufacture of an FPSO floating vessel, manufacture of an FLNG (floating gas liquefaction plant) and finally the subsea engineering component.
The development of the project, launched at the end of 2019, reached nearly 60% with regards to the first 3 components, according to official data recently published by BP, which is the main operator of the project.
Nevertheless, regarding the activities of the underwater gas extraction engineering component, the activities will, only, be launched next December, by the American company McDermott in partnership with Baker Hughes (a subsidiary of General Electric), for a period ranging from 12 to 17 months.
The launch of the activities of this component was initially planned for 2020, but has suffered a significant delay of one year due to the negative effects of the covid-19 pandemic.
The engineering phase
The last component of the project work is, actually, the establishment of the subsea engineering system in EPCI mode (engineering, procurement, construction and installation).
This phase is considered the most sensitive of the GTA project. It aims to lay more than 120 km of underwater pipes of various calibers (SURF) which will, among other things, connect the wells to the FPSO, as well as the underwater production system (SPS).
The work in this phase represents a major logistical challenge, especially since it mainly involves transporting 250,000 tonnes of equipment, including 110,000 tonnes of pipes and several oversized offshore structures such as Spools (Jumpers), Manifold, PLEM, etc.
In carrying out these activities, McDermott will be supported primarily by international partners, providers of technological services in the field of transportation and installation of subsea pipelines.
The participation of national actors
Regarding national service providers, McDermott has just announced the selection of the Mauritanian company SOGECO SA as local logistics provider, which will in turn select local companies capable of providing logistics services for her.
The overall amount of this phase oriented to national players, through the local supplier, is estimated at more than 50 million USD, including Freight Forwarding, related port operations as well as the marshalling yard, which will be dedicated to operations at the port of Nouakchott.
This participation however, does not exceed 7% of the total envelope of the operation, which will reach 750 million USD. This shows the weakness of the local content in this component, which will be carried out on the national territory.
The minimization of the envelope intended for domestic enterprises in the last component of the project requires a rapid revision to ensure more benefits, in the next phases of development.
This worrying concern should be taken into account by both public and private decision-makers to put in place an effective solution, which will guarantee considerable participation for national companies, on the one hand, and strengthen the professional capacities of these companies, on the other.