Congo’s Nkossa oil output resumes

BRAZZAVILLE – Production from Congo Republic’s Nkossa offshore oilfield, operated by French Total, will be restored within three weeks after a fire halted output, the oil ministry said on Friday.

A blaze at the Nkossa platform on Thursday killed two people and stopped the field’s 60 000 barrel-per-day (bpd) production. “The fire was completely brought under control.Now it’s a question of starting to repair the damages to the platform, which are quite significant, and also securing the installations,” a senior ministry official told Reuters.”All that should take a bit of time, and it’s only after this that production can be restarted – certainly within three weeks,” he added, asking not to be named.A Total spokeswoman said on Thursday the fire had been put out and an investigation would try to determine the cause.A fishing boat was reported to have been close to the platform when the fire broke out, but it was not clear if there was any link between this and the start of the blaze.The two workers killed in the fire were Congolese.Another Congolese and an Australian were injured in the platform fire.The casualties worked for a Norwegian drilling company, Seadrill.Congo Republic is sub-Saharan Africa’s fifth-biggest oil producer after Nigeria, Angola, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.Nkossa is the biggest oilfield in the former French colony.Congo’s oil production was around 270 000 barrels per day in 2006.Total produces about two-thirds of that figure and is the largest foreign investor in the country.Nampa-Reuters”The fire was completely brought under control.Now it’s a question of starting to repair the damages to the platform, which are quite significant, and also securing the installations,” a senior ministry official told Reuters.”All that should take a bit of time, and it’s only after this that production can be restarted – certainly within three weeks,” he added, asking not to be named.A Total spokeswoman said on Thursday the fire had been put out and an investigation would try to determine the cause.A fishing boat was reported to have been close to the platform when the fire broke out, but it was not clear if there was any link between this and the start of the blaze.The two workers killed in the fire were Congolese.Another Congolese and an Australian were injured in the platform fire.The casualties worked for a Norwegian drilling company, Seadrill.Congo Republic is sub-Saharan Africa’s fifth-biggest oil producer after Nigeria, Angola, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.Nkossa is the biggest oilfield in the former French colony.Congo’s oil production was around 270 000 barrels per day in 2006.Total produces about two-thirds of that figure and is the largest foreign investor in the country.Nampa-Reuters