Upstream Petroleum Regulator Revokes Oritsemeyin Rig’s Operating Licence

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has revoked the operating licence of Oritsemeyin Rig.

The committee besides directed the institution to cease each operations upon the completion of its existent good operations.

The announcement was contained successful a missive dated September 11, 2025, addressed to Selective Marine Services Limited (SMSL) and signed by the Commission main executive, Engr. Gbenga Komolafe, the committee stated connected Friday.

The NUPRC said that the determination followed a thorough reappraisal of the circumstances surrounding the drilling of UDIBE-2 wellbore during which a footwear was recorded, resulting successful respective Non-Productive Time (NPT) with consequential outgo and a forced good sidetrack.

A footwear connected an lipid rig is the unwanted travel of enactment fluids (oil, gas, oregon water) into the wellbare owed to a impermanent unit imbalance, wherever the unit wrong the wellbore becomes little than the enactment pressure.

This phenomenon, if near unmanaged, tin pb to a perchance catastrophic uncontrolled merchandise of fluids called a blowout

Subsequently, the NUPRC successful accordance with Section 97 of the Petroleum Industry Ac 12021, issued a ceremonial announcement of culpability via a missive dated June 5, 2025 with a timeline of 21 days followed by a reminder dated July 9, 2025 to guarantee an amicable solution which was not achieved adjacent beyond the stipulated time.

“Consequent upon the foregoing and pursuant to the applicable powers conferred connected the committee nether the extant Petroleum Industry Act 2021, the yearly licence to oper ate granted to Selective Marine Services Limited for the Oritsemeyin Rig is hereby revoked,” the committee stated.

The upstream regulator besides disqualified the Oritsemeyin Rig from each renewal protocols successful strict compliance with the applicable provisions of the instrumentality forthwith.

The NUPRC noted that this enactment was successful enactment with the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021, which empowers the committee to guarantee compliance with bully oilfield and planetary champion manufacture practices, operational information and optimisation arsenic good arsenic beforehand method excellence and sphere commercialized and environmental sustainability.