The Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Engineer Gbenga Komolafe, has expressed optimism over Nigeria’s rising oil production following the impending deployment of the EMEM Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel.
Engineer Komolafe made the remarks during an official visit to Dubai Drydocks World (DDWD) in the UAE, where the EMEM FPSO is being converted for Oriental Energy Resources Limited (OERL). The vessel is set for deployment to the Okwok Field (PML 15) offshore Nigeria, operated by Oriental Okwok Limited.
During a four-hour inspection, Komolafe assessed critical areas of the FPSO, including the Oil and Produced Water Treatment Unit, Gas Injection Modules, Seawater Treatment Facilities, Gas Turbine Generators, Electrical House, LACT Unit, Laboratory, Control Room, and Accommodation Quarters. He said the FPSO’s arrival aligns with Nigeria’s “Project One Million Barrels” initiative, aimed at increasing national oil output by one million barrels.
“This FPSO comes at a crucial time for Nigeria’s production goals. I am impressed with the work and, as the regulator, we will continue supporting Oriental Energy,” Komolafe said, urging the company to participate in the next licensing round.
Meanwhile, NNPC Limited recently raised Nigeria’s oil output to 1.7 million barrels per day, with targets of 2 million bpd by 2027 and 3 million in the long term, according to Group CEO Engineer Bashir Ojulari at ADIPEC 2025 in Abu Dhabi.
Nigeria’s production, which hovered between 1.3–1.4 million bpd in the first half of 2025, briefly rose to 1.5 million bpd in July before dropping to 1.3 million bpd in September, as reported in OPEC’s October Monthly Oil Market Report (MOMR). Ojulari attributed the decline to the Dangote Refinery labor dispute with NUPENG and PENGASSAN.
