The United States and Nigeria are teaming up to develop the African country’s offshore oil and gas industry. The U.S. Trade and Development Agency announced December 31, 2012 that it would be providing a grant to Nigeria that will be used to develop an electronic management platform which provides 24-hour support to offshore operations such as loading and unloading ships, cargo and equipment.
“USTDA is proud to assist the base’s efforts to expand its operations in order to provide continued logistics support,” said the USTDA Director Leocadia Zak in a release. “The technical assistance grant could also generate significant opportunities for U.S. companies to export IT-related goods and services.”
Other offshore oil development is also being planned for the coast of South Africa. The Oil and Gas Journal reported that Exxon Mobil recently acquired technical cooperation permits with the country’s government to conduct a one-year study on the hydrocarbon potential of a deepwater basin off Durban.
After the study, the energy company may decide to explore the area for oil and gas.
