Project Overview

The Bonga FPSO is a centrepiece of Nigeria's deepwater oil industry. It is the floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel that brought Nigeria's first-ever deepwater production online in November 2005 and remains, two decades later, one of the country's single most important pieces of energy infrastructure.

Located approximately 120 km offshore the Niger Delta, it is operated by Shell's Nigerian deepwater subsidiary, SNEPCo. The FPSO has a processing capacity of 225,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd) and 150 million standard cubic feet of gas per day, handling output from the Bonga Main and Bonga Northwest fields.

In December 2024, SNEPCo took the Final Investment Decision (FID) on Bonga North for USD 5 billion, targeting more than 300 million barrels of oil equivalent in recoverable resources, peak production of 110,000 barrels of oil per day, and first oil expected around 2030. 

The Bonga North scope includes drilling and completing 8 production wells and 8 water injection wells in 900-1,300 m water depth, installing new subsea hardware, modifying the existing Bonga FPSO's topsides, and undertaking life-extension work to accommodate the additional production volumes. 

The Bonga FPSO shut down for a 34-day statutory turnaround maintenance programme. It ran from 1 February to 6 March 2026. SNEPCo Managing Director Ronald Adams described the exercise as designed to 'ensure safe, efficient operations for another 15 years.’

Bonga FPSO Location

The Bonga FPSO is permanently moored at the Bonga oilfield in Nigeria’s deep offshore waters, about 120 km southwest of the Niger Delta and around 50 nautical miles off the Nigerian coast in the Gulf of Guinea. It operates in Oil Mining Lease (OML) 118, in water depths of approximately 1,000–1,125 metres.

Project Background

The Bonga field was discovered in the late 1990s and brought on stream in November 2005 as Nigeria's first deepwater development. It opened the way for the broader deepwater exploration and development across OML 118 and neighbouring blocks.

Bonga Northwest was developed as the first satellite tie-back to the original FPSO, adding incremental production without requiring new floating infrastructure. By 2025, however, combined Bonga Main and Northwest output had declined to 121,000 bopd. 

Bonga North had been under evaluation for years before SNEPCo formally reached Final Investment Decision on December 16, 2024. The USD 5 billion sanctioned development targets more than 300 million barrels of oil equivalent in recoverable resources via the production and water injection wells in 900-1,300 m water depth.

Running in parallel to the Bonga North's construction, and the FPSO's own maintenance cycle, is the separate revival of Bonga South West-Aparo, a discovery dating to 2001 that has remained undeveloped for a quarter-century despite being the last of several satellites of the giant Bonga Field that has not reached sanction.

BSWA's complexity is compounded by its status as a straddle structure spanning two different operatorships (Shell-operated OML 118 and Chevron-operated OMLs 132/140). Moreover, it requires an entirely new, dedicated 150,000 bpd FPSO, since it cannot draw on the existing Bonga FPSO's spare capacity in the way Bonga North can.

Shell's January 2026 relaunch of the FPSO tender process represents the most concrete forward momentum BSWA has shown in years, though the project's path to FID is targeted by Shell for 2027.

Bonga FPSO Current Status

The Bonga FPSO is currently operational and producing oil after completing a major turnaround maintenance (TAM) in early March 2026. The associated Bonga South‑West/Aparo deepwater project is advancing toward an FID: pre‑FEED is complete, and a preferred FPSO contractor has been selected.

Stakeholder Details

Bonga FPSO Project Cost Details

Project Timeline

Design & Engineering Details

Conclusion

The Bonga FPSO project, operated by Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo), achieved its first oil in November 2005. It stands as Nigeria’s pioneering deepwater oil development and a cornerstone of the country’s offshore production strategy.

The combination of life‑extension works on the original vessel and the scale of the new development promises to stabilize near‑term production, boost medium‑term output, and attract significant foreign capital while leveraging local content and advanced subsea and digital technologies already proven at Bonga. 

Taken together, the existing Bonga FPSO and the forthcoming Bonga South‑West/Aparo expansion reinforce Nigeria’s position as a competitive deepwater province.

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