SPONSORED: New Entrant Zu-Lais A One Stop Shop for Kenya’s Upstream Sector

Zu-Lais Oil & Gas Logistics and Consultancy Co. Ltd (Zu-Lais) was founded as a one stop for companies in the exploration & production environment in Oil & Gas, Renewable Energy and Mining Industries offering a wide range of services ranging from logistics, advisory, oilfield services as well as arbitration and negotiations with joint venture partners and government agencies.

According to the founders (with decades of experience in the upstream oil and gas) the establishment of the Mombasa based company follows an extensive and exhaustive market study, research and trend observation within the various sectors with major focus being provision of result & solution oriented strategies that shield operators and investors from loss making thus injecting tangible value into their multi-billion projects.

Zu-Lais workforce comprises of legal experts, operation managers, drilling & petroleum engineers, certified tax & accountancy professionals, insurance underwriters & loss prevention managers, marine engineers, licensed surveyors amongst others and derives its ideal experience from all over Africa particularly from Agbami and Bonga fields in Nigeria. It has also been involved in the TEN project in Ghana, Foukanda, Zatchi, Ikalou fields in the Republic of Congo through Walvis Bay in Namibia to Angola and down to the East African gas blocks in Mtwara and finally from Kenya’s rich oilfields in Turkana. Zu-Lais also draws its operations exposure from E&P activities in the US, Brazil, Finland, Colombia, Turkey & Middle East.

Among the solutions that are aimed for the oil and gas sector include: oversight in local content projects, importation and re-exportation of drilling equipment, advisory on tax and insurance, block acquisition and relinquishment as well as exploration and drilling support services. Other services include vessel chartering, onshore and offshore logistics and personnel management/placement.

Under Local Content Zu-Lais has successfully and satisfactorily offered oversight in 10 plus LC projects for International Oil Companies (IOCs) since 2012 and prides itself for cutting down costs interweaved and hidden in LC budgets by suppliers in liaison with industry regulators and other statutory bodies to ensure smooth operations are achieved.

The company also aims at guarding oil and gas operators against unnecessary increase in daily operating expenditure proposed by drilling contractors as well as reducing costs by getting approval for importation/re-exportation of drilling equipment(s) within the most suitable timeframe as the drilling campaign entails. Zu-Lais will also help you avoid fines, penalties and standby charges from the state and contractors respectively by ensuring compliance.

“At Zu-Lais, we ensure your operations are a 100% compliant by taking you through crucial requirements and offering pro -active advisory before, during and after any drilling campaign,” says Chief Executive Officer John Mshenga (a well-seasoned Oil & Gas professional having worked for renowned IOCs across the globe for almost a decade).

“Based on legitimate prevailing factors such as increase in tax and/or insurance due to change of operating jurisdiction, our tax experts given their vast experience shall effectively assist operators/drilling contractors negotiate for tax, operating cost and insurance uplift allowance plus entitlement to performance bonus in DSA’s,” he adds.

On block acquisition and relinquishment, Zu-Lais says it has been involved in negotiating with Federal to Revolutionary Governments ensuring clients a hustle free period when it comes to block acquisition. The team offers services including obtaining information legally be it geological survey data such as seismic data acquisition (2D/3D shooting), well log data etc, and general history of the block (s).

“No operator wishes to end up with a commercially unfeasible well or worst enough hit a dry well given huge sums of money invested. And when it does happen, relinquishment becomes a preferred option; no one has time for troubleshooting that is, do a second trial with an advanced seismic shooting 3D for instance. In whichever case, Zu-Lais understands operator decisions thus would strive to walk them through this engaging and compliance demanding period. We’ll review your OML/OPL and advice accordingly with benchmark from statutory, regulator and industry standards.”

Under exploration and drilling support Services Zu-Lais offers: purchase or leasing, shipment and transportation of drilling inventory, linkage to more than 10 drilling inventory suppliers (ISO certified)  as well as multi-user facility & equipment agreement with a couple operators that allow sharing/lease of equipment/inventory and personnel under fair terms. Zu-Lais further can come in placement of key personnel from its pool of qualified and certified professionals ranging from geoscientists, drilling engineers, petroleum engineers, reservoir engineers, subsurface & completions engineers, marine engineers, material specialists, in house tax accountants, crane operators, truck drivers, and maintenance technicians among others.

“The advantage is, most of these professionals are placed in various operations across the world (this tells you that they’re up to date with industry standards) and would only be available during their rotational leave or have a special arrangement made with current employers,” John explains.

On site, clients can choose to have Zu-Lais provide accommodation units, decide on camp settings especially in remote areas, catering as well as organize for emergency evacuations through partnerships with giant medical insurers, oil spill management companies and helicopter charterers.

In Offshore Logistics, Zu-Lais has experience in provision of Platform Supply Vessels (PSV), Tugs & Barges; to supply of Multi-Purpose Supply Vessels (MPSV), Crew Boats and all types of heavy lifting equipment and cranes. Zu-Lais further provides vessel insurance and lay-up management, overseeing complex marine construction projects to statutory survey of vessels & barges and certifying bulk towage arrangements as well as provision and inspection of HSE equipment onboard vessels.

Contact:info@zu-lais.com

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