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Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo) has announced the shutdown of its Bonga deepwater oilfield, according to a statement by Shell’s spokesperson, Bamidele Odugbesan. The company said the temporary shutdown of the oilfield is for maintenance and is expected to last at least a month.

“SNEPCo has commenced turnaround maintenance at Bonga, executing statutory activities that will ensure continuous optimum operations at the deepwater field which began producing in November 2005," Shell's spokesperson said on Monday. "Production from the field was shut down on March 4, 2017, and is expected to resume at the conclusion of the exercise next month."

According to SNEPCo, since production began at Bonga in 2005, this is the fourth turnaround maintenance at the oilfield, which is located 120 kilometres offshore Nigeria in an average water depth of 1,000 metres.

With a production capacity of 225,000 barrels per day (bpd) of oil and 150 million standard cubic feet of gas, the halted production will reduce Nigeria’s output to 1.875 million bpd, from the recent threshold of 2.1 million bpd.

“The exercise will help ensure sustained production and reduced unscheduled production deferments," said Bayo Ojulari, Managing Director of SNEPCo.

The Bonga Deepwater Project is operated by SNEPCo in partnership with Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria (Deep Water) Limited; Total E&P Nigeria Limited; and Nigerian Agip Exploration Limited under a Production Sharing Contract (PSC) with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

SNEPCo said the turnaround maintenance would entail inspections, recertification, testing and repair of equipment as well as engineering upgrades.