Representatives of Mitsui & Co., BOG’s technical partner for OCTG, visited BOG in Lagos to meet with some exploration and production companies on the applications of casings, tubings, drill pipes and conductor pipes.
Seymyon Astakhov, Tubular Specialist (Dubai) and Jun Yamabayashi, Deputy General Manager (Ghana), represented Mitsui & Co. during the visit. They visited Addax Petroleum and Seplat Petroleum Development Company. The objectives of the visits were to get updates on ongoing and upcoming opportunities on OCTG and discuss with end-users at Addax and Seplat the products and services available in the OCTG space.
During the visits to Addax Petroleum and Seplat Petroleum, Seymyon made brief presentations on OCTG. He also talked about Mitsui & Co.’s relationship with JFE Steel Corporation, adding that they work more with Nippon Steel Sumitomo Metal Corporation (NSSMC) due to their stake in the mill. He further explained that Mitsui’s speciality has made the company a force to reckon with in quality premium casings, tubings, drill pipes and conductor pipes. According to Seymyon, it takes between 10 to 12 months to get pipes to site when manufacturing. Shipping duration is normally factored in.
The highlight of the presentations was the introduction of the latest threaded and coupled connection in the VAM connection family – VAM 21. The VAM 21 has better performance compared to VAM Tops but is sold at same price. The patent for VAM Top would expire in about 2-3 years, hence the development of VAM 21. He informed teams from Addax and Seplat that the development of VAM 21 was jointly done by a team of engineers in Vallourec in France and NSSMC in Japan. Thus, the product is being promoted in the global market by two companies – Vallourec and NSSMC. The presentations were delivered to the Drilling and Procurement teams of Addax and Seplat.
Mrs. Yemi Gbeja, Supply Chain Manager, BOG (first from right, second row) and representatives of Mitsui during a presentation to the Drilling Team at Seplat Petroleum Development Company in Lagos.
From left: Kayode Thomas (BOG); Seymyon Astakhov, Jun Yamabayashi (both of Mitsui) and Yemi Gbeja (BOG) in a group photograph after a dinner in Lagos.