Shell has shut Nigeria's Bonga floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel for scheduled maintenance, its Nigerian upstream subsidiary Snepco said.
"The scheduled maintenance activity is designed to ensure the FPSO continues to operate safely and efficiently for the next 15 years," Snepco said. "We expect to resume operations in March following the completion of the turnaround."
Argus reported on 1 December that the Bonga shutdown is expected to run from 1 February to 18 March, according to an industry source. Singapore-based contractor Nortrans said in August last year that it won an award to support the turnaround.
Shell operates the Bonga block with a 65pc stake. ExxonMobil holds 20pc and Italy's Eni owns the remaining 15pc.
The FPSO — located around 120km offshore in water depths exceeding 1,000m — last underwent planned maintenance in October 2022.
The facility handles output from the Bonga Main and Bonga Northwest fields, and has the capacity to process 225,000 b/d of crude and 150mn ft³/d of gas. Data from Nigerian upstream regulator NUPRC show the fields produced a combined 121,000 b/d in 2025.
This leaves the FPSO with spare processing capacity that can accommodate volumes from Bonga North once the field comes on stream. Shell and its partners took a $5bn final investment decision to develop Bonga North in December 2024, targeting first oil by 2030 and peak production of 110,000 b/d through a tie-back to the vessel.
"This year's turnaround comes at a strategic moment" and is "preparing the facility for the additional volumes and operational demands associated with the new development", Snepco said.
