Angolan offshore first

Transcription

SONANGOL UNIVERSO
Universo
www.universo-magazine.com
MARCH 2014
Angolan
offshore first
PERFECT
PARTNERS:
Angola and Norway
7 NATURAL
WONDERS:
Angolans vote
ISSUE 41 – MARCH 2014
ANGOLAN
ROCK:
Captivates the critics
INSIDE:
oil and gas news
Universo is the international
magazine of Sonangol
Board Members
Francisco de Lemos José Maria (President),
Anabela Soares de Brito da Fonseca,
Ana Joaquina Van-Dúnem Alves da Costa,
Fernandes Gaspar Bernardo Mateus,
Fernando Joaquim Roberto,
Mateus Sebastião Francisco Neto,
Paulino Fernando Carvalho Jerónimo
Sonangol Department for
Communication & Image
Director
Mateus Cristovão Benza
Corporate Communications Assistants
Nadiejda Santos, Lúcio Santos, Sarissari
Diniz, José Mota, Beatriz Silva, Paula
Almeida, Sandra Teixeira, Marta Sousa,
Hélder Sirgado, Kimesso Kissoka
Publisher: Sheila O’Callaghan
Editor: John Kolodziejski
Managing Editor: Mauro Perillo
Art Director: Tony Hill
Sub Editor: Brian MacReamoinn
Proofreader: Gail Nelson-Bonebrake
Made in Angola
Circulation Manager: Matthew Alexander
Production Assistant: Sebnem Brown
Project Consultant: Nathalie MacCarthy
Group President: John Charles Gasser
Universo is produced by Impact Media
Custom Publishing. The views expressed
in the publication are not necessarily
those of Sonangol or the publishers.
Reproduction in whole or in part
without prior permission is prohibited.
This magazine is distributed to a closed
circulation. To receive a free copy:
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Circulation: 15,000
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2 SONANGOL UNIVERSO
F
ebruary’s SonaExpo 2014, an exhibition on Luanda Bay featuring
Sonangol products and services, presented a timely opportunity to
take stock of recent local manufacturing developments.
The many visitors strolling around the exhibition stalls could
verify how Sonangol’s industrial arm, SIIND, is stimulating domestic
economic growth and jobs.
Over the past 10 years, the government has rebuilt and added to the
country’s basic infrastructure and is currently building 200,000 homes.
The next logical development step involved expanding local manufacturing
to replace imports. This is where SIIND comes in.
Since 2011 SIIND has developed 27 factories, which manufacture many
of the materials and fittings related to the new houses and urban services
such as glazing, paints, and electrical and plumbing materials. Eventually
SIIND will have 73 factories employing 14,000 staff.
More factories mean more jobs and home comforts for Angolans, who
are now able to sleep soundly on locally made mattresses!
John Kolodziejski
Editor
ANGOLA NEWS BRIEFING
A roundup of national and international news concerning Angola
5
FIGURED OUT
A brief glance at Angola in numbers
6
ANGOLA–NORWAY: A PERFECT PARTNERSHIP
Norway’s natural resource development is the envy of the world.
We examine how Angola is adopting some of its policy successes
16
ANGOLA’S SEVEN WONDERS OF NATURE
Angola is voting on its most popular natural attraction. We survey
6
Peter Moeller
4
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Contents
the candidates
26
A music genre not normally associated with Africa is the subject of
ANGOLA ROCKS THE FILM CRITICS
32
LUANDA’S NEW LANDMARKS
Prominent new public buildings are changing the face of the city
36
SONANGOL NEWS BRIEFING
Highlights of noteworthy news items from Sonangol EP and
its subsidiaries
CABULA6 and Coalition Films, 2012
26
Kostadin Luchansky
a hit US documentary film. We look and listen 16
40 ANGOLAN INDUSTRY BOOST
Angola makes an historic advance in industrialisation with the first
installation of an African fabricated and fitted topside module
44 MATCHMAKING IN THE SUPPLY CHAIN
How Angola is encouraging international oil sector partnerships
46 SONANGOL RESULTS
Angola continues on track to meet its 2015 oil output target;
profits remain healthy
32
(c) Total E&P Angola / Kostadin Luchansky
40
MARCH 2014 3
Angola news briefing
No.1 for oil
investors
Angola seat on
UN Council
■ Angola’s candidacy for non-
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permanent membership of the
United Nations Security Council
was approved by the Nomination
Committee of the African Union (AU)
in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in January.
Angolan Foreign Affairs Minister
Georges Rebelo Chikoti said with
the AU approval, the application will
now be submitted to the UN General
Assembly for a final vote.
Minister Chikoti said the move
was evidence that other countries
are aware that Angola will be able
to represent the continent well in the
world’s decision-making body.
“It is also a sign that our diplomacy
has been growing and is able to
respond to what others expect from
us,” he added.
Angola had previously held a
non-permanent post at the Security
Council between 2003 and 2004.
■ Angola will attract the most oil
exploration investment in 2014 and
2015, according to a report by the
Business Monitor International (BMI)
consultancy released in January.
“We expect Angola will remain as
the main destination for investment in
the oil industry,” said the report on oil
and gas in Angola, which notes that,
despite a projected slowdown in oil
production, plans for new projects will
ensure strong growth in most of the
2014–18 period.
BMI also expects annual Angolan
GDP growth to average 7.4 per cent
until 2018.
The report cited Sonangol’s head
of integration, Domingos Cunha, as
saying that the near future will be busy
with the launch of exploration in the
country’s pre-salt layer, which Angolan
authorities believe has the same huge
potential as a similar area in Brazil.
“We expect a busy drilling period
over the next few quarters, with 32
wells planned in Angola this year,
including 15 that will test pre-salt
formations,” the report said.
President chairs Great Lakes summit
Angop
■ President José Eduardo dos Santos
4 SONANGOL UNIVERSO
chaired and hosted the International
Conference on the Great Lakes
Region (ICGLR) 5th Ordinary Summit
in Luanda on January 15.
The president pledged that he would
work for peace, stability and economic
and social development in the region as
he took over the chair from his Ugandan
counterpart, Yoweri Museveni.
ICGLR was established in 1994
and consists of 12 member countries
in the region. Among the problems it is
addressing are armed conflicts in the
Democratic Republic of Congo, Central
African Republic and South Sudan.
Angola news briefing
Private investment
boom
contracts worth a total of $4.7 billion in 2013. ANIP CEO Maria Luísa
Abrantes formally signed the approximately 200 deals with company
representatives on February 6. Most of the contracts are linked to the
sectors of services, construction, civil engineering, industry and trade.
Five industrial project contracts signed in early February would create
10,000 jobs, Abrantes revealed.
ANIP’s approved investment projects were around 20 per cent
higher in 2013 than its target set out in the government’s 2013–17 plan.
Lobito port rebuilt and ready
■ The Angolan government has completed the $2 billion rebuilding of
the port of Lobito, says the port’s board chairman, Anapaz de Jesus
Neto. The government used the money to modernise and expand the
port. Improvements included the construction of a minerals terminal,
another for containers and a dry port.
“All these projects are complete and ready to operate,” he said.
Cargo volume through the Port of Lobito in 2013 was about 2 million
tonnes, a slight increase of 2.5 per cent compared with 2012.
For 2014, the port aims to increase its output even further and
expects the entry of private sector operators into the business.
FIGURED OUT
$4.7 billion
investment in Angola in 2013
Angop
■ Angola’s National Private Investment Agency (ANIP) approved
New airport
on track
■ On February 19 President dos Santos paid a
visit to see how construction work is progressing
on Luanda’s new international airport.
The airport, located 40km from Luanda
between the new Zango residential districts and
Bom Jesus, is expected to be operational within
two years.
The giant facility already has completed two
long runways capable of handling the world’s
largest passenger jets. Most of the main building
structures are now in place, including a huge air
traffic control tower.
Angola in numbers
$2 billion
cost of Lobito’s port revamp
2,500 tonnes
lifting power of Africa’s largest crane, now in Angola
74km
length of deep sea cables in CLOV project
1,890
local companies preparing to enter oil sector
MARCH 2014 5
INTERNATIONAL
ANGOLA–NORWAY:
A PERFECT
PARTNERSHIP
Norway has won widespread respect for raising its people’s living
standards to one of the highest in the world. Universo looks at the
resource-rich country’s ties with Angola
6 SONANGOL UNIVERSO
MARCH 2014 7
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The Oslo Opera House
Angop
INTERNATIONAL
S
uperficially Norway and Angola
have little in common; ice covers
large parts of Norway even in
midsummer, whereas sunshine
bathes Angola in year-round warmth. Despite
sharp climatic contrasts, the two countries
share some striking similarities in geography
and natural resources, says Norway’s
ambassador to Angola, Ingrid Ofstad.
“Norway, like Angola, has a long coastline
with abundant petroleum and fish resources.
Norway, just like Angola, has mountains and
waterfalls, with potential for hydropower
and the development of clean energy. These
similarities present a unique opportunity for
mutually beneficial cooperation.
“Today, Angola is Norway’s biggest
and most important economic partner in
Africa,” she adds.
Norway has similar oil output to Angola
at just less than 2 million barrels per day
and is Western Europe’s largest oil and gas
producer. The country enjoys one of the
highest standards of living in the world
and is much admired by other developed
economies for its comprehensive
welfare services and relatively equitable
distribution of wealth. Many see it as a
shining example of how a country should
best manage and distribute its resources.
Buoyed by oil sector wealth, Norway is
at the top of the United Nations’ Human
Development Index (HDI), which ranks
countries by their economic and social
well-being. The HDI combines data on life
expectancy (reflecting health standards),
educational levels and standard of living.
Sovereign development
4.Netherlands
0.921
5.Germany
0.920
6.
0.919
Central to Norway’s good housekeeping
is its sovereign wealth fund (SWF), into
which it has been depositing part of its oil
and gas revenue since 1990. Norway’s SWF
is the world’s largest and is currently worth
roughly $820 billion. The government
spends income of around 4 per cent a
year from the fund, and this helps pay
for Norway’s high levels of healthcare,
schooling and pensions that are the envy
of the world. It also means that Norway
has substantial aid available to donate to
poorer countries.
Norway donated $4.75 billion in foreign
aid in 2012, far more than many larger
economies. Its donation as a percentage
of gross national income is even more
impressive at 0.93 per cent. That is twice
the amount of leading economies such as
Germany (0.38 per cent) and more than
five times that of the United States.
Inspired by Norway’s example, Angola
is also developing a SWF and made an
initial $5 billion deposit in 2012.
A delegation from Angola’s SWF led
by Dr José Filomeno dos Santos visited
Norway in October 2013, where it attended
a meeting of the International Forum of
Sovereign Wealth Funds coordinated by
the International Monetary Fund.
7.Ireland
0.916
Diplomatic connection
8.Sweden
0.916
9.Switzerland
0.913
10.Japan
0.912
United Nations Human
Development Index
1.Norway
0.955
2.Australia
0.938
3.
0.937
United States
New Zealand
Source: United Nations Development
Programme, March 2013
8 SONANGOL UNIVERSO
Norway celebrates 37 years of diplomatic
relations with Angola this year. Its first
energy sector cooperation dates back to
1980 when Norway helped sponsor the
energy secretariat for the Southern African
Development Community (SADC), that
was first established in Luanda.
The Nordic country drew on its
experience and expertise in developing
Dr José Filomeno dos Santos
offshore activities in the North Sea to start
oil sector cooperation with Angola in 1987.
“Cooperation in the petroleum sector
is vibrant and steadily growing,” says
Ambassador Ofstad.
Several Norwegian companies have
set up operations in Angola. For Norway’s
leading oil company Statoil, Angola
represented around 28 per cent of the
volume of its foreign production in the
third quarter of 2013.
Statoil in Angola
Oil is by far Norway’s largest area of
cooperation with Angola. Statoil sees
Angola as “a perfect strategic fit for Statoil,
and the conditions there match perfectly
with our strengths built up over decades
predominantly in Norway.”
The company has been in Angola for
almost 21 years and is a partner in eight
producing offshore fields, which contribute
approximately 200,000 bpd to its portfolio.
Angola’s continental shelf is the largest
INTERNATIONAL
“Today, Angola is Norway’s
biggest and most important
economic partner in Africa.”
– Ambassador Ingrid Ofstad
Statoil:
Current Angola portfolio
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contributor to Statoil’s production outside
Norway and is a key building block for
Statoil’s international production growth,
says the company.
Pre-salt exploration
Statoil sees Angola’s pre-salt region as
having high potential, given its geological
similarity to a successful exploration area
in Brazil. Statoil was designated operator
in promising pre-salt areas located in
Blocks 38 and 39 in December 2011, where
it is partnering Sonangol P&P and thus
potentially entering a new and exciting era.
The Norwegian company was also
awarded partnerships in three other
pre-salt blocks (Blocks 25 and 40, both
operated by Total, and Block 22, operated
by Repsol) in the Kwanza Basin. Statoil
is now focusing its main activities on the
goal of initial production of the first well
around two years after having signed
a production-sharing contract. As part
of pre-salt exploration activities Statoil,
along with Total and BP are undertaking
the world's largest ever 3D seismic survey.
Statoil is surveying 26,000 sq km of the presalt licence areas off the coast of Angola
and has fast-tracked the seismic imaging
so as to be able to move quickly towards
drilling exploration wells.
Norwegian differential
Statoil enjoys closer links with Sonangol
than most other oil companies, thanks in
part to its contribution to developing its
operational arm, Sonangol P&P.
The Norwegian company sees this
partnership with Sonangol as significant,
and representing one of the most
successful initiatives it has implemented
in Angola. It is also a differentiating factor
for Statoil compared to other international
oil companies.
This cooperation dates back to 1999
when Statoil was appointed technical
assistant and signed an agreement to
provide Sonangol P&P, Block 34 Asset
Statoil Stake
Block 17
23.33%
Block 15
13.33%
Block 31
13.33%
Block 4/05
20%
Block 15/06
5%
Pre-salt assets operated
by Statoil
Block 38
55%
Block 39
55%
Statoil partnerships
Block 22
20%
Block 25
20%
Block 40
20%
MARCH 2014 9
INTERNATIONAL
Hammerfest
Iron Ore
Kirkenes
Tromsø
Harstad
RUSSIA
NORWAY
400 km
200
0
OSLO
0
100
Narvik
FINLAND
200 miles
Bodø
ARCTIC CIRCLE
SWEDEN
Iron & Steel
Mo i Rana
Fishing /sea port
Timber
Mining
Steel
NORWEGIAN
SEA
Shipbuilding
Petroleum
Drilling
Trondheim
Oil field
Gas field
Kristiansund
Mixed (oil/gas)
Alesund
Flow
Maritime boundary
National capital
City/town
Florø
NORWAY
Brent
Oseberg
Bergen
250 km
0
Oslo
Drammen
250 mi
B A LT I C S E A
Karstø
Stavanger
rw
eg
SCOTLAND
ESTONIA
Rogaland
No
Forties
ian
Tr e n
ch
Kristiansand
Aberdeen
LATVIA
(UK)
Grangemouth
DEN.
LITHUANIA
Norway facts
Population:
5 million
Arable land:
Land area:
385,186 sq km
Capital:Oslo
Coastline:25,148km
(including fjords and islands)
10 SONANGOL UNIVERSO
2.87%
Main industries:Oil and gas production, fishing,
shipbuilding, paper, timber
Mark Clydesdale BZO
0
INTERNATIONAL
Team with fully qualified and trained
Angolan professionals to help develop
Sonangol P&P over a period of 5–10 years.
Joint work in the 5,000 sq km Block 34
included the exploration and drilling phase
and achieved substantial and sustainable
results in a very short period of time. These
included the establishment of a complete
local drilling team taking full responsibility
for Sonangol’s deepwater drilling operation
while assisted by only one senior Statoil
drilling engineer and the full use of the
company’s drill steering documents and
work routines.
The West Africa region including
Angola is the third largest export market
for the Norwegian oil supply industry.
Norway’s largest exports to Angola are rig
and drilling services and subsea equipment
and installation.
Technical expertise
Technical solutions developed in the
highly challenging conditions on the
Norwegian continental shelf (NCS) are also
used to maximise the recovery factors in
Angolan fields: one is the subsea separator
developed by Statoil/FMC Technologies,
which had only previously been used once
on the NCS (Tordis field) and is now an
important part of the Pazflor development
in Block 17.
Norwegian Oil and Gas Partners
(INTSOK) views Angola as a priority market
with total investment and operational
costs reaching $90 billion in 2014–17. This
makes it the sixth largest market, after
Brazil, Norway, USA, UK and Australia. For
comparison purposes, INTSOK believes
both Brazil and Norway markets will be
worth $200 billion each in the same period.
Companies and organizations
in Angola with links to Norway
Companies from Norway invest $2 billion
to $3 billion a year in Angola. Statoil alone has
invested well over $10.5 billion to date.
“The Angolan market interests
Norwegian companies, but nevertheless
they must learn how to enter Angola. It’s
an interesting but difficult market,” says
INTSOK’s Regional Director for Angola,
Gulbrand Wangen.
“It’s a good market for large companies.
The small ones have more difficulties
because the country is very expensive. One
of the challenges is to find local partners
owing to the legislation that demands 51
per cent must be in the hands of Angolans.”
Wangen also sees environmental
services, where Norway has experience
and expertise, as another area for greater
cooperation. “There are strong prospects
for Norwegian environmental companies.
Norwegian companies invest
$2 billion to $3 billion
a year in Angola
Statoil
OSM
Aker Solutions
RKK
Angola benefits from
Norwegian knowhow
FMC Technologies
Odfjell Drilling
Siemens
OneSubsea
DOF Subsea
DNV-GL
INTSOK
Farstad Shipping/Kuona & Farstad Lda
Norse Cutting & Abandonment (NCA)
Marine Subsea AS/Interoil Angola
Heine Melkevik - Statoil
GE
Harald Pettersen - Statoil
PGS Angola
MARCH 2014 11
Harald Pettersen - Statoil
INTERNATIONAL
Angola has new legislation on the
environment for the oil sector, and this
legislation will demand new technologies,
and Norway has this technology. That’s
why it’s an area that we aim to explore.”
and development of local content, such
as FMC, Aker Solutions, Cameron, and
National Oilwell Varco.
RKK has been supporting Angola’s
National Oil Institute (INP) in capacitybuilding in skills related to the oil industry by
training instructors in Norway and advisory
services for management and procurement
of equipment. RKK’s assistance was
financed by the Norwegian government.
Subsequently, RKK supported INP
in developing the first phase of a Statoilfinanced offshore safety centre which
includes first aid and firefighting.
RKK has also delivered training courses
to Norwegian Angola-based companies
for their employees through courses from
RKK’s office in Namibia.
There is also an important cooperation
between Angola’s Agostinho Neto
University and the Norwegian University
of Science and Technology (NTNU)
at Trondheim. Here Statoil and the
Norwegian government jointly finance
around 10 Masters degree scholarships in
Petroleum Engineering each year.
Clean energy
Oil and gas apart, Norway has long been
The Rogaland Training & Education
Centre (RKK) is a Norwegian foundation
active in Angola that has supported the
development of local content. Rogaland
is the region around Stavanger, Norway’s
most important oil industry base.
In the period 2009–13 RKK partnered
Angola’s Ministry of Public Administration,
Employment and Social Security (MAPTSS)
in a capacity-building project through
vocational courses at training centres in
Luanda, Cabinda and Soyo.
This pilot project concentrated
on skills such as welding, hydraulics,
electronics, technical drawing and machine
maintenance. It enrolled 669 students and
also trained 82 instructors.
The project has established a basis for
further development of apprenticeships
and direct recruitment to industry. A
number of contractors to the oil and
gas industry have supported the project
Photo Harald Pettersen - Statoil
Training support
renowned for its clean energy production
from its hydroelectric dams, which
supply around 98 per cent of its needs. It
is the sixth largest producer of this form
of energy after China, Canada, Brazil, the
United States and Russia.
There is much room for Norway to
expand its cooperation in hydropower
with Angola. Angola currently invests
$3 billion a year in this area and
has only around 10 per cent of the
electricity generation it needs. Norway’s
current hydropower capacity is around
30GW, while Angola has around 2GW.
Angola plans to have a total of 7GW by
2017, and the Norwegian government
believes additional Angolan water
power generation can be installed
relatively easily.
Norway currently provides technical
assistance in water power to Angola.
Norwegian Water Resources and Energy
Directorate signed a new cooperation
agreement with Angola in January
2013. Areas of cooperation include the
development of a legal framework as
well as competence-building in terms of
hydrological data and energy efficiency.
Norwegian company Statkraft is
Seafood resources
Norway is also famous for its success and
careful management of its fish stocks. It is
the second largest seafood exporter in the
world, and more than 36 million meals of
Norwegian seafood are served worldwide
every day.
Norway’s famous salmon is sold
globally while its cod is particularly
popular in Angola. Dried salted Norwegian
cod has been traded with southern Europe
since the Viking period in the 9th century
and probably then began its connection
with the Portuguese-speaking world.
Through its Ecosystem Approach to
Fisheries (EAF), Norway’s EAF Nansen
programme, the country has assisted
Angola in mapping its marine resources
since 1985. It is a cooperation agreement
between the Ministry of Fisheries in Angola
and the Institute of Marine Research (IMR)
in Norway.
The EAF Nansen programme addresses
fisheries issues in the Benguela Current
countries of Angola, Namibia
and South Africa. Its aim is to
contribute to a viable fishing
industry based on sustainable
fisheries
management
practices and also strengthen
administrative, technical and
managerial capacities in prioritised areas. Some examples
of the current (2013–16)
programme’s components are:
to improve Angola’s fsheries
information system, to increase
Norway
the capacity to transform
research recommendations
into management measures,
to increase the competence of fisheries
inspectors, observers and instructors,
to further improve regional cooperation
on combating illegal, unreported and
unregulated (IUU) fishing, to make
improvements in the assessment of fish
resources; and to continue supporting
students of masters or PhD programmes
in relevant topics.
People-to-people
“Ties between our two countries also
include important people-to-people
A taste of Norway
elocultural
Europe’s biggest renewable energy
company and is already investing in
Africa through its subsidiary, Agua Imara,
in Mozambique.
carefully manages its fish stocks
relations. Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA)
and Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) are
among the biggest foreign NGOs in
Angola,” Ambassador Ingrid Ofstad
points out. These bodies, partly financed
by Statoil, are doing vital work such as
clearing landmines, sinking water wells
and building organisational capacity in
local civil society.
NPA has helped train Angolan
personnel in demining and to remove
296,873 unexploded items from its
territory. Mine clearance has covered the
equivalent of more than 70,000 football
fields since 1996.
NCA is a strategic partner in Angola
of the Norwegian government, which
provides most of its funding.
“NCA has been working with local
partners in Angola since the mid-1980s,
with a strong emphasis on partnerships
with churches and faith-based
organisations,” explains Vibeke Skauerud,
NCA’s representative in Luanda.
“Religious leaders are respected
authorities in Angola, both at local and
national levels, and represent a large part
of the population. Working with churches
and faith-based partners is therefore
different than working with traditional
civil society organisations, as they are able
to reach a wider network of communities
and beneficiaries. Churches are also able
to mobilise much more effectively at
community and grass-roots levels. At the
same time, religious leaders have access
to authorities at all levels and can be
MARCH 2014 13
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INTERNATIONAL
INTERNATIONAL
messengers or go-betweens on behalf of
the poor and destitute.”
Ms Skauerud lists some of NCA’s main
achievements over the past three years,
such as providing water and sanitation
to 15,693 people in rural communities in
Zaire, Uíge, Kwanza Sul and Benguela.
In 2012–13 alone, NCA and its partners
built eight complete water systems and
provided 9,107 people with clean and
safe drinking water. The aim is to reach
30,000 beneficiaries by 2015. NCA projects
have also focused attention on improving
sanitation in these communities. In
2012–13 NCA built 314 latrines in 12
communities and gave lectures on hygiene
and sanitation, with schools a special
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Norway's famous Northern Lights
priority. The organisation also distributed
mosquito nets.
NCA has also been active within
the field of HIV/AIDS, supporting local
organisations and churches which care
for people affected. NCA also helps victims
of gender-based violence, including
the opportunity to start a new life after
receiving vocational training.
“The latest focus of NCA and our
partner’s work is aimed at helping
communities become less vulnerable
when facing the challenges of climate
change. This is done, by among other
initiatives, promoting alternative
agricultural methods and crops, by
designing and constructing irrigation
systems and by helping communities start
savings and loans schemes that provide
them with alternative income,” says
Ms Skauerud.
A good example of how the
churches can fill the role of messenger,
connecting communities with their
local administrations, she explains,
is the popular NCA-supported social
monitoring programme of the Angolan
council of churches. Here the churches
consult community members about what
they need in order to improve their way of
living; the churches then provide input to
the local government on their plans, and
thereafter they follow and monitor the
progress of the government plans. p
“Ties between our two
countries also
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INTERNATIONAL
include important
people-to-people relations.”
salaries’ for children under 18,
and all young people have the
right to free schooling, medical
and dental assistance.
“One of the difficulties people
face when they arrive here is to
get used to the dark and cold in
winter and the low temperatures
in summer. In Oslo, the average
temperature in summer does not
go above 21 degrees Centigrade
and it rains half the time. Despite
this, the season transforms
people, who become happier
and more communicative, and
keener to make the most of life.
“If you come to visit, don’t
miss trying some local dishes
and traditional foods such as
fårikål, a soup of lamb, potatoes
and cabbage; brunost, a sweettasting brown goat’s cheese; hot
dog with prawn pâté and fried
onions; or even lutefisk, a special
dish of cod with mustard, diced
bacon bits, white sauce, pea
purée and potatoes.”
Shutterstock
Translator Maria José Maciel, a
Brazilian who has spent some
time in Angola, has lived in
Norway for over two decades.
How does she find it?
“In my 22 years here, I’ve
noticed how much more
cosmopolitan and open the
country is. Today, the immigrant
population now accounts for 14
per cent of the population, which
is around 5 million. It’s really nice
to see, in the capital, people of
every ethnic group and styles
mixed together on the streets.
“One of the great advantages
of living in Norway is to be able
to count on the support of the
social welfare system the country
gives its citizens. Even though
many complain about the high
taxes, a person who is unable
to work has the right to benefits
like maternity and paternity
leave, unemployment benefit,
and sickness and training pay.
Parents also receive ‘family
Shutterstock
A Lusophone view of Norway
Shutterstock
– Ambassador Ingrid Ofstad
MARCH 2014 15
TOURISM
Angolans are the first Africans to choose their own seven
natural wonders as part of the “New 7 Wonders of Nature”
competition. This event aims to boost ecotourism while
enhancing global environmental conservation
ANGOLA’S
SEVEN
WONDERS
NATURE
of
Eric Lafforgue
By Lula Ahrens
TOURISM
A
ngola features an impressive
range of natural treasures that
most Luanda residents, let alone
foreign tourists, have yet to
discover. Thanks to this year’s 7 Natural
Wonders of Angola competition, they are
on the verge of gaining both national and
global recognition.
The attractions Angola offers include
the world’s oldest desert, its second tallest
waterfalls, spectacular cliffs, huge caves,
nature reserves, lagoons, mountain ranges,
peninsulas and a part of the planet’s
second largest rainforest.
The 7 Natural Wonders of Angola
forms part of a wider global competition,
originating in Switzerland. CanadianSwiss Bernard Weber launched the “New
7 Wonders of the World” popularity
poll in 2000 as a project to select the top
seven monuments in the world. These
were then chosen from 200 proposals in
2007. According to the New 7 Wonders
Foundation, 100 million votes were cast via
phone and the Internet.
The results of the foundation’s second
initiative, the New 7 Wonders of Nature,
were announced in 2011. The Zurichbased foundation is financed by private
donations and the sale of broadcast rights.
Angolans choose
All Angolans will have the right to choose
the country’s seven natural wonders.
Luís Segadães, director of Natural
7 Wonders, told Universo that several
countries are currently organising similar
competitions and all have been certified by
the Natural 7 Wonders Foundation.
“The 7 Natural Wonders of Angola
is a very important initiative for the
global consolidation of the ‘brand’
Angola. All this media publicity can
boost nature conservation, tourism,
knowledge, investment, infrastructure, and
employment,” Segadães explained.
Organisers of Angola’s 7 Wonders
have selected 18 celebrity patrons who
voluntarily represent each province
and encourage Angolans to vote for its
candidate wonder.
The voting process has been adjusted
to suit Angola. Whereas the global 7
Wonders competition took place online, in
Angola, where less than 10 per cent of the
population has Internet access, votes are
cast exclusively via SMS.
Coverage by Angolan TV and radio,
daily state newspaper Jornal de Angola and
other media has guaranteed widespread
knowledge of the event.
“That this works became obvious during
our road show through the 18 provinces.
People responded very enthusiastically.
Even in the most remote provinces and
inhospitable places, Angolans know
about the 7 Natural Wonders of Angola,”
said Segadães.
BERNARD WEBER
Angola roadshow
Angola presented 27 natural wonders for
voting in July 2013. These were pre-selected
from 200 proposals by a committee. The
Angolan National 7 Wonders organisation
launched the TV roadshow in Cabinda
at the same time. Then 18 live TV shows
featuring a caravan of more than 30 people
travelled across Angola’s 18 provinces. The
shows were broadcast between November
2013 and January 2014. On top of this,
27 short films with astonishing aerial
shots have been shown on TV since the
beginning of September 2013.
The seven winning Natural Wonders
of Angola will be announced at the Luanda
Bay event space on April 27, 2014.
THE 7 NATURAL WONDERS OF ANGOLA
IS A CHOICE FOR ALL ANGOLANS
The founder of the New 7
Wonders of the World poll is
Bernard Weber, a filmmaker,
museum curator, aviator, and
adventurer. A graduate of New
York University Film School, he
moved to Rome in 1974 where
he worked as an assistant to
legendary director Federico
Fellini. Weber went on to direct
his first feature film, Hotel
Locarno in 1979, which received
several international awards.
In June 2013, Weber visited
Luanda where he met Vice
President Manuel Vicente and
officially invited Angola to
participate in the 7 Wonders of
Africa poll in 2014.
MARCH 2014 17
TOURISM
Peter Moeller
27 NATURAL WONDERS OF ANGOLA’S FINALISTS
OKAVANGO BASIN
NAMIBE DESERT
1
2
The 323,192 sq km Okavango Basin covers part of Kuando Kubango province.
“This huge, beautiful swamp area will certainly attract a lot of tourism in
the future,” said Paul Wesson, head of tourism company Eco-Tur and a constant
overland traveller throughout Angola’s territory for over 30 years. “It forms
part of the important Kavango Zambeze Transfrontier Conservation Area [KAZA
TFCA]. Ever since the civil war ended, elephants, sensing the end of the conflict,
have been returning to this region across the border from Botswana.”
KAZA TFCA will probably become the world’s largest conservation area.
With the Zambezi and Kuvango rivers at its heart, the region houses the world’s
biggest elephant population and a wealth of other (endangered) plant and
animal species. KAZA TFCA’s member countries – Angola, Botswana, Namibia,
Zambia and Zimbabwe – are expecting an explosion of tourism in the area, which
will serve as a tool for socio-economic development.
Namibe boasts the world’s oldest desert. It
harbours countless prehistoric fossils of
creatures, including dinosaurs and the giant sea
turtle. The world’s first Angolasaurus was found
in the Namibe desert. Visitors can see it in the
Museum of Natural History in Luanda.
The Namibe desert also exclusively hosts
the Welwitschia mirabilis, a rare, giant plant,
some of which are more than 2,000 years old.
Iona National Park's lagoons, its famous
giant dunes at Tombwa, unique rock formations
and an incredible diversity of flora and fauna
make Namibe province well worth visiting.
Kostadin Luchansky
Province: Kuando Kubango
Category: Rivers and Lakes
Province: Namibe
Category: Protected Areas
TOURISM
MAYOMBE FOREST
4
Province: Cabinda
The Mayombe rainforest reserve covers part of Cabinda province
and extends into neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC), Congo and Gabon. It is the world’s sixth most important
reserve in terms of biodiversity.
Famous Angolan fashion designer Nadir Tati is the patroness
of Cabinda province. “Cabinda represents my home, my roots. It
influences my work as a fashion designer,” she told Universo.
“Mayombe, our ‘Lung of Africa,’ is the second largest forest
in the world after the Brazilian Amazon. It produces more than
200,000 cubic metres of wood a year. One of the world’s largest
bird species is also found here, as well as rhinoceros, elephants and
buffaloes. Its leafy trees can reach a height of more than 50 metres.
My mission is to make all Angolans proud of our forest.”
The dense jungle area is also blessed with rivers, dense vegetation
and an abundance of fish for local consumption. Angolan writer
Pepetela has written a book named after, and inspired by, the forest.
Kostadin Luchansky
“A REAL PRIME SITE, PRISTINE
TROPICAL FOREST” – PAUL WESSON
TUNDAVALA CLIFF
3
Province: Huíla
Category: Cliffs
Tundavala is Angola’s highest cliff. It separates Angola’s table land from the
endless valley beyond in an impressive 1,000-metre-deep abyss, which includes
a beautiful waterfall. From its two stunning viewpoints, visitors can look out
over the more arid and dry province of Namibe that lies below.
Peter Moeller
"ONE OF THE PREMIUM TOURISM SITES IN ANGOLA,
A MUST-SEE” – PAUL WESSON, ECO-TUR
MARCH 2014 19
TOURISM
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Barra do Dande
Province: Bengo
Category: Cliffs
Binga Waterfalls on the River Keve
Province: Kwanza Sul
Category: Waterfalls
Cataracts of Ruacaná
Province: Cunene
Caves of Zau Evua
Province: Zaire
Category: Caves and Caverns
Egipto Beach
Province: Benguela
Category: Beaches
Caves of Sassa
Province: Kwanza Sul
Caves of Nzenzo
Province: Uíge
Luís Fernando, former director of daily
newspaper O País, is patron of the Caves of
Nzenzo in Uíge.
“The caves remind us of an infinity of symbols,
events and perspectives as they are situated in the
vast territory where history registered the great
battle of Ambuíla in the 17th century. This battle
dictated the beginning of the end of one of the most
captivating and functional socio-political structures
of pre-colonial Africa, the Kingdom of Kongo, and
represents a wealth of untapped resources and
beauty,” Fernando explained.
12
13
Karumbo Lagoon
Province: Lunda Norte
Mount Môco
Province: Huambo
Category: Large Reliefs
MUSSULO
PENINSULA
14
Province: Luanda
Category: Beaches
Mussulo is a 30km peninsula with picture-perfect
beaches just south of Luanda. It is formed by sediments
from the River Kwanza.
Angola’s national symbol, the palanca negra gigante, or giant sable antelope,
was discovered in the area of the Kangandala National Park in 1963.
TOURISM
15
16
Cameia National Park
Province: Moxico
Kangandala National Park
Province: Malange
The Kangandala National Park, about 30km from
Malange, covers only around 600 sq km. It was
originally founded to protect Angola’s national
symbol, the palanca negra gigante, or giant sable
antelope, which was discovered in the area in
1963. Feared extinct after 1982, the sable was
rediscovered in 2005, and Kangandala now offers a
safe refuge for a sable breeding programme.
17
18
19
20
21
Caotinha Beach
Province: Benguela
Category: Beaches
Kostadin Luchansky
Chumbe Waterfalls
Province: Lunda Sul
The world’s first Angolasaurus found in the Namibe desert.
Golungo Alto Forest Reserve
Province: Kwanza Norte
River Cuito
Province: Kuando Kubango
River Zaire
Province: Zaire
Africa’s second largest river after the Nile, the
Zaire is the only river in the world that crosses the
Equator twice. This 4,700km-long river originates in
Northern Zambia and continues through Congo into
Angola, until it flows into the Atlantic Ocean while
washing the shores of Zaire province.
The river also has great historic importance.
On April 5, 1482, Portuguese explorer Diogo Cão
travelled along this river and made what is now
Angola known to the European world.
MARCH 2014 21
TOURISM
The spectacularly bizarre moonlike landscape of Miradouro
da Lua (View of the Moon), about an hour’s drive from
Luanda, is a geological treasure, the result of sea and wind
erosion. It served as the backdrop and inspiration for a film
made by Portuguese-Angolan Jorge António.
Kostadin Luchansky
MIRADOURO DA LUA
22
Province: Luanda
Category: Cliffs
PATRONS OF ANGOLA’S 18 PROVINCES
Bangão – Musician – Bengo
Akwá – Ex-Football Player – Benguela
José Sayovo – Paralympic Athlete –Bié
Nadir Tati – Designer – Cabinda
Beto de Almeida – Singer – Kuando Kubango
Zulmira Manuel – Singer – Kwanza Norte
Don Kikas – Singer – Kwanza Sul
Márcia Vahekeny - Model/Ex-Miss Angola – Cunene
Pérola – Singer – Huambo
Benedito Kayela – Presenter and Journalist – Huíla
Eduardo Paim – Singer – Luanda
Paula Simons – Journalist – Lunda Norte
Gabriel Tchiema – Singer – Lunda Sul
Pedro N’zagi – Presenter – Malange
Job – Football Player – Moxico
Canguimbo Ananás – Writer – Namibe
Luís Fernando – Journalist and Writer – Uíge
Lesliana Pereira – Actress and Ex-Miss Angola – Zaire
TOURISM
KISSAMA NATIONAL PARK
23
Province: Luanda
MARCH 2014 23
Shutterstock
“Kissama is one of Africa’s most beautiful parks, above all thanks to its flora and
fauna. It has also been the subject of a lot of conservation activity following the
advent of peace,” said Paul Wesson. “A very popular destination for visitors due to its
proximity [80km] to Luanda.”
Designated a national park since 1957 due to its enormous variety of wildlife,
it lost almost all that wildlife during the years of conflict. In 1995, a project
was launched which brought in animals from Botswana and South
Africa. The first animals arrived in 2000. They included
giraffes, elephants, zebras and ostriches. Thanks to
their protection and successful breeding within
the park, Kissama’s wildlife is now
flourishing again.
TOURISM
BLACK ROCKS
Province: Malange
Category: Large Relief
The mysterious Black Rocks (Pedras Negras) at Pungo Andongo stand out for miles on a
broad plain. The defensive site once served as the capital of the Kingdom of Ndongo and
enshrines many myths and legends. King Ngola Kiluanji and Queen Ginga’s footprints are
believed to be embedded in the rocks.
Kostadin Luchansky
OF PUNGO ANDONGO
24
Kostadin Luchansky
KALANDULA WATERFALLS
25
Province: Malange
“Probably one of the most popular destinations for visitors
to Angola (particularly as one can visit Pedras Negras on the
same trip). The waterfalls rate as the second most important
in Africa and rival Victoria Falls in height,” according to Paul
Wesson. The falls are 105 metres high and 400 metres wide.
TOURISM
26
Province: Bié
Tourism potential
RIVER KWANZA
LEBA MOUNTAIN
Kostadin Luchansky
The roughly 1,000km-long River Kwanza is Angola’s largest and most important
water source. It crosses six provinces before it reaches the Atlantic Ocean 70km
south of Luanda. The Kwanza is rich in fish, and its banks feature a great variety of
flora and fauna.
27
Serra da Leba is a steep mountain range which divides the province of Huíla from Namibe.
It is famous for its beauty and also for the Serra da Leba pass, a breathtaking mountain
road built in the 1970s that spirals down from the 1,845-metre plateau to almost sea level
in just over 10km.
Kostadin Luchansky
Province: Namibe
Category: Large Relief
If there is one thing that has become clear
during the 7 Natural Wonders of Angola
competition, it is that Angola has enormous
and largely untapped tourism potential.
Peter Moeller, editor of BP magazine
Calemas, is well placed to evaluate Angola’s
tourism potential on show in the event.
Moeller has travelled all over Angola since
2004 and visited all 18 provinces. Driven
by Eco-Tur’s Paul Wesson, Moeller has
photographed and produced the annual
corporate BP calendar An Angolan Odyssey,
which is distributed worldwide.
”Our calendar serves as a window on
the country, showing beautiful scenery
and daily life,” Moeller told Universo.
“One of the reasons we produce it is to
stimulate the interest of Angolans in their
wonderful country and urge them to travel
more internally.”
According to Moeller, the outstanding
attraction that Angola can offer tourists is
“the warmth and friendliness of its people
– and also of course the still wild and
unspoiled beauty of the countryside and its
dramatic features.”
“There are a number of difficulties for
tourists that they do not experience in other
countries, including internal transportation
and infrastructure, accommodation and
visa-related issues,” he said. “But already,
all over the country trunk roads are hugely
improved, making access easier.”
In line with the competition’s spirit of
preservation, Moeller believes care should
be taken in making changes to facilitate
tourism. “This can easily compromise the
fragility of what the visitor has come to see,
as has proved the case in many other parts
of the world,” he said. “Improvements to
facilitate an enjoyable visitor experience
are one thing, but if a ‘wonder’ is truly
beautiful already, there is not much that
can be done to improve it. The big danger
is the opposite.”
In our next issue, we will have an update
with the seven winners. More information
on the 27 finalists and how to vote can be
found on: www.7maravilhas.ao p
MARCH 2014 25
CULTURE
ANGOLA
S
K
C
O
R
THE FILM CRITICS
A US documentary featuring contemporary musicians in
Angola has captivated international audiences and critics.
Universo looks at what all the fuss is about
MARCH 2014 27
From the heart,
Wilker Flores in action
CULTURE
A
chance encounter between
US film-maker Jeremy Xido
and Angolan musician Wilker
Flores in a Huambo coffee shop
resulted in the uncovering of an unexpected
musical genre in Angola. Xido was in the
city researching a documentary on the
rebuilding of the Benguela Railway, but
Flores captured his attention, and this led to
the making of the film Death Metal Angola.
Flores plays death metal, a form of loud
rock music characterised by an aggressive
fast beat and often indecipherable barked
or growled lyrics. Death metal is a type of
music nowadays mostly associated with
Northern Europe despite its American
origins, so Xido was understandably
surprised to see it in Africa. The beginning
of death metal as a distinctive rock genre is
believed to have been the 1985 Death Metal
album by US group Possessed.
The Oxford Dictionary defines music
as “vocal or instrumental sounds (or both)
combined in such a way as to produce
beauty of form, harmony and expression of
emotion”. To most of those hearing death
metal for the first time, finding beauty or
harmony might prove a tough task, but the
sound is certainly expressive.
Players and listeners have long
recognised music as a vehicle for manifesting
deep human feelings and a channel for the
healthy release of tension and sentiment.
This catharsis appears to be at the root of
why some Angolans play death metal.
Whereas the death metal genre
practised in the economically developed
“Death Metal Angola is a beautiful
film, one that is bound
to become a cult classic”
– E. Nina Rothe, The Huffington Post
world’s suburbs has death and destruction
as imaginary themes, many of Angola’s
death metal bands have lived through
the trauma of the real thing. Huambo’s
inhabitants suffered intense bombardment
as recently as 1998.
The film’s attraction to audiences
around the world appears to lie in the
exotic ruined venue where the action takes
place and also in its principal characters.
At the heart of the action is tough and
gentle former schoolteacher Sónia Ferreira,
who is not only Flores’ partner and fellow
fan of death metal, but also heads a nongovernmental organisation (NGO) that
looks after dislocated or abandoned
children. Her orphanage is a former dairy
close to the venue for the death metal
concert whose preparation is ostensibly
the film’s subject.
Ferreira co-founded the NGO
Okutiuka, which means “to return” in
Umbundu, the local Angolan indigenous
language. Okutiuka was established in July
1995 in Huambo, Ferreira’s hometown.
The NGO feeds and facilitates medical
treatment both in-house but also out in the
community. Last year it assisted 62 young
people aged between 6 and 22.
Apart from providing for basic physical
needs, Okutiuka’s central function
is the psychological and educational
development of its vulnerable charges.
Xido’s film documents the challenging
work involved in setting up the event.
Preparation for the concert takes place
close to the orphanage where evidence of
destruction lies all around.
He films the mounting of the makeshift
stage, the gathering of equipment and
the installation of the lighting and sound
systems in a place where energy supplies
cannot be taken for granted.
Phoenix rising
E. Nina Rothe, a cultural critic at the
influential US blog, The Huffington Post,
points to the life-affirming spectacle the
death metal concert project presents in a
place where the destruction of their homes
Homework rehearsal
CULTURE
African metal link
There has always been much talk of the
African origins of modern American blues
and rock, but Wilker Flores sees a specific
link to a local rhythmic beat, tchingange,
that is also found in death metal. For
Wilker, “metal is African” and has its roots
in the slaves taken to North America.
“The guys who are heading this
movement in Angola talk about rock as
returning home. They make a fascinating
argument,” says Xido, who reckons that up
to a quarter of all slaves in North America
originated in Angola.
For Xido, the film really revolves
around the character of Sónia who runs
the orphanage and protects the kids.
“Rock has been a super-important thing
in her life. And that’s really the soul of it
and this music is used… as a way for these
folks to find an expression to heal the
horrors of what they’ve experienced,” he
explains. “What they [the musicians] hear
is the sound that moves them and opens
something up and allows them to go into
this really deep place. They have these
lyrics where they can finally find some
form that can withstand the power of what
they’ve experienced. And that’s what is at
the core of the film.”
Death Metal Angola has been screened
at Luanda’s International Film Festival
and in Huambo. The film has collected
many plaudits and won best documentary
feature at the Rhode Island International
Film Festival. The movie has been shown
all over the world since its December 2012
international premiere in Dubai, including
at several venues across the United States,
in the Netherlands, Argentina, Denmark,
Portugal, Spain, Australia, Romania,
Norway, France, Chile, Germany, Italy,
Poland, South Korea, Switzerland, UK,
Finland and, remarkably, Antarctica.
The Huffington Post’s E. Nina Rothe
believes Death Metal Angola also promises to
make coveted rock stars of Wilker Flores and
the groups Dor Fantasma, Neblina, Before
Crush and Black Soul, among the many
musicians featured in the documentary. p
Live rock
MARCH 2014 29
and the safety they once knew has left
children homeless and orphaned.
“With the help of his wonderfully
positive protagonists, Xido discovers a
culture of music and life, accompanied by
the kind of joie de vivre that can only come
from having lived through unbearable
hardship and strife,” Rothe writes.
“If we’ve learned anything in life,
it’s that the human spirit has incredible
resilience, and out of the most horrific
events there almost certainly will grow
beautiful results,” she notes. “Xido’s
protagonists have found the hidden energy
of a style of music that perhaps at its core is
meant to heal and inspire.
“For the kids of Okutiuka, their guardian
Sónia and her boyfriend Wilker, the music
draws from their personal experiences and
from their African roots, while the lyrics
help to purge all the spectres of a past lived
in their hell on earth,” she adds.
“All the children
need is a bit of
affection, care and
comprehension.
If they have this, we
can overcome
any adversity.”
– Sónia Ferreira.
CULTURE
The kids are alright
Sónia Ferreira’s Okutiuka NGO
was founded in Huambo in 1996. It
focuses on infant–maternal health
and it targets young people who
have been abandoned to live on
the streets.
While other groups have had
help from the United Nations and
other agencies, these children had
neither protection nor advocates
willing to ensure that their rights
were respected.
Okutiuka from the outset made
sure the children survived and their
basic needs such as hospital visits,
were met. The charity focuses
support on integrating badly
treated kids found in situations of
risk where there is nobody else
Air guitar, Angola style
to help them. Some have suffered
violence or even practised it and
need psychological help.
Ferreira has lived through some
dramatic moments. Caught in the
crossfire of the bombardment of
Huambo in 1998, she managed to
broker a truce between the two
sides and airlift 55 children by
cargo plane from the city to safety
in Benguela.
Like a modern-day Moses, she
led them out of a war zone to camp
on a beach and managed to look
after them there, even putting some
into school. A year later she took
them back to Huambo – a city she
found in an even worse state than
previously – where some children
found their families; but new
children needed looking after and
Okutiuka took them in. At its peak,
Ferreira’s charity had a total of 168
children under its protection.
Today, many of Okutiuka’s
former charges are skilled workers
and may have set up families of
their own. Others are university
students, artists and musicians.
Heavy rock music is not the
only cultural manifestation at
Okutiuka. Sónia Ferreira was once
band director for a children’s
group in Benguela and has helped
prepare Okutiuka’s carnival groups,
which have conquered seven
junior carnival titles and two adult
championships in Huambo province.
CULTURE
Death Metal Angola
director Jeremy Xido
Contact
For more information and contacts
see www.deathmetalangola.com
MARCH 2014 31
At the Dubai Premiere
CITYSCAPE
LUANDA’S NEW
LANDMARKS
Luanda’s cityscape continues to spring surprises
as more new large public buildings emerge.
Pride of place in the most eye-catching category
is the striking parliament complex. Another new
building of note – soon to be unveiled – is the
Museum of Science and Technology
MARCH 2014 33
Kostadin Luchansky
Assembleia Nacional
at night
CITYSCAPE
Museum of Science
and Technology
A long white oblong roof faces the skies
Brazuk
T
he most impressive addition
to Luanda’s skyline in the past
two years is the rose-coloured,
21-metre-diameter dome of
Angola’s new parliament, the Assembleia
Nacional. The parliamentary complex,
now nearing completion, is on a large
scale and is symbolically located high
above the gardens containing the tall
tower of the Agostinho Neto monument
and his mausoleum. From this prominent
site a battery of arched windows enjoys
wide views over the calm bright seas of the
South Atlantic.
The neoclassical parliament building
is reminiscent of Washington’s Capitol
Building with its columns and dome, but it
also echoes the pink colour and the lines of
Angola’s most photographed building, the
National Bank (Banco Nacional de Angola).
Work began on the $185 million project
in 2010, and it is now being fitted out for
an inauguration expected this year. The
complex consists of four buildings: one
for the actual parliament, one for offices,
a parking block and another for services,
equipment and security. It covers an area
equivalent to eight football pitches.
The parliament’s Assembly Hall has
seating for 532 in the round. The fanshaped stepped floor of the auditorium
faces the raised tribune of the parliament’s
president. Seats reserved for ministers
flank the tribune.
The public can access the mezzanine
level from the third floor. The mezzanine
is for interested citizens, journalists and
other visitors such as diplomats. It has
capacity to hold 210 people.
Surrounding the circular assembly
hall building, wrapping around more
than half its circumference, is the sixfloor office block containing rooms
for the parliamentary groups and the
institution’s administration. The complex
has 20 lifts to facilitate the movement
of parliamentarians going about their
business. It also contains 485 – mostly
underground – parking bays.
below Luanda’s 16th-century hilltop
bay-end fortress. The new Museum of
Science and Technology (Museu/Centro
de Ciëncia e Tecnologia) building, now
nearing completion, tastefully reuses
the renovated cream-coloured facade
of a long-abandoned soap factory, but
its wide, bright, well-lit interior matches
the modernity of the exhibits destined to
occupy the space.
The outer shell of this building
combines plastered brick walls with
upper sides and a rooftop made in slicker
more modern materials. In a city where
totally new glass-and-steel towers have
become commonplace in recent years, it is
refreshing to see that this new building has
made use of its older foundations and thus
literally maintains its old roots in the city.
The museum has five areas: an exhibits
gallery, an auditorium, a planetarium, a
refreshment room and administrative offices.
The most prominent exhibit that has
been installed during construction is a
CITYSCAPE
The Museum of Science and Technology
huge suspended globe, the centrepiece of
the planetarium.
Another well-rooted link to Luanda’s past
is a conserved baobab tree in the car park.
The aims and objectives of the museum
are to provide an interactive educational
space open to all. This will include both
historic and forward-looking technological
exhibits and additional complementary
information facilities for students.
As part of the educative aims of the
museum there will be a video centre
with a 22-metre screen with 3D effects.
Students will be able to interact with films,
which will also benefit from a sophisticated
sound system.
Tourist friendly
If a key premise of developing visitor
and tourist attractions is to have them
in a cluster, then the new science and
technology museum is well situated. It
is within easy walking distance of the
military museum housed in the São
Miguel Fortress above it. A further linked
attraction is Luanda’s now well-established
bayside park. After visitors take a long stroll
admiring the sea and enjoying the breeze
the two cultural attractions will provide
worthy destinations.
To add some air-conditioned comfort
and refreshments to this cultural quarter
of Luanda Bay, a new shopping centre
is under construction between the
Museum of Science and Technology and
the Fortress.p
MARCH 2014 35
Sonangol news briefing
Courtesy of Angoflex
Angoflex sets
load-out record
■ Angoflex, a partnership between Sonangol and France’s
Technip, believes its latest umbilicals load-out is one for the
record books.
“It was a world first and very challenging operation due
to the long distance to the quay and the complex route path,”
said Sylvain Cabalery, Angoflex’s Angola deputy country
manager. “The operation was completed on schedule and
without any quality or safety hitches.”
The company manufactured and supplied the umbilicals
weighing 2,500 tonnes and measuring a total of 74km in
length at its Lobito plant in Benguela province. Umbilicals
are sheaves of cables used to operate controls and valves
on distant sea-bed wellheads.
Cabalery described this third and final load-out of
umbilicals for the CLOV project* as a “breakthrough
advance”, as the process involved unreeling umbilicals from
the plant carousel at Lobito onto specialised installation
vessels anchored 1.2-km away. It entailed the intricate
manoeuvring of the semi-rigid umbilical cables around
curves and over bridges. The need to encase the cables in
steel so they can withstand the cold of deep-sea operation
enhances umbilical cable rigidity.
“Success was made possible thanks to strong
coordination between the teams mobilised by Angoflex,
Technip and the clients,” said Cabalery.
The Angoflex facility at Lobito employs more than 200
Angolans and was recently re-equipped and upgraded with
the addition of two storage carousels (giant spools), making
it one of the most modern in the world.
“Looking ahead with the experience gained through
these load-outs and the CLOV project, the Angoflex team
is now ready to manufacture a full range of umbilicals in
its Lobito plant and repeat this success in future projects,”
Cabalery added.
*See page 40 for more information on CLOV.
Angola LNG Marketing Ltd
Angola LNG sells
first LPG cargo
(LPG) cargo from its plant in Soyo on January 28. The
company commissioned its Soyo LPG and condensate
jetty just before loading operations began.
“In addition to LNG production for international
markets, propane, butane and condensate production
at Angola LNG is an important part of our operational
and commercial activity. Our LPG and condensate
production will help to supply both domestic and
export markets with their energy needs,” said Artur
Pereira, CEO at Angola LNG Marketing.
Apart from its LNG facilities, the Soyo plant’s
liquids infrastructure includes storage tanks for 88,000
cubic metres of propane, 59,000 cu m of butane and
108,000 cu m of condensate. It also has a dedicated
jetty for loading propane, butane and condensate and
a second jetty for pressurised butane loadings which
will serve the domestic market.
The LPG shipment marks a further milestone
in the continued development of Angola’s oil and
gas resources and provides a new source of energy
for Angola and export markets. Angola LNG is a
joint venture between Sonangol, Chevron, BP, ENI
and Total.
Lobito refinery
finance
■ Sonangol EP has contracted Standard Chartered Bank as
financial consultants for the Lobito refinery project. The bank will
develop the economic model and the finance strategy, undertake
budget planning and risk management, and audit key elements of
the project, as well as manage its tax and commercial framework.
Basic infrastructure works for the 200,000-bpd Lobito refinery
began in December 2012. Completion is scheduled for 2017–18.
Total E&P Angola / Kostadin Luchansky
■ Angola LNG sold its first liquefied petroleum gas
MARCH 2014 37
More pre-salt finds
in Angola
■ Angola made two more pre-salt oil discoveries in December
Shutterstock
and January. First a partnership between Cobalt, Sonangol
P&P and BP found significant oil and gas volumes in Block 20.
During tests, Block 20’s Lontra exploration well produced 2,500
barrels of condensate and 39 million cubic feet of gas a day.
Lontra reached a total depth of 4,195 metres and penetrated a
67-metre layer of a good-quality reservoir. More wells and tests
are necessary to evaluate the find, but Lontra is believed to be
a discovery on an international scale, and the reservoir contains
more natural gas than expected.
Operator Cobalt and its partners Sonangol P&P, Nazaki Oil
and Gaz, and Alper Oil made the second discovery, this time in
Block 21. This was Sonangol’s and Cobalt’s fourth deepwater
pre-salt discovery off Angola’s coast.
Here, the Bicuar 1A pre-salt deepwater exploratory well
drilled to 5,739 metres found around 56m of net pay at multiple
pre-salt intervals. Drilling took just 59 days and wrapped up
some 63 days ahead of schedule.
James Farnsworth, Cobalt’s chief exploration officer, said
the geology showed similar features to the Campos Basin in
Brazil and would be key to expanding the potential of the broader
Kwanza Basin pre-salt area.
“We are also excited with how quickly Bicuar 1A was
drilled, while never compromising our commitment to safety
and environmental protection. Continued performance of this
type would allow us to drill wells at nearly half the cost we had
anticipated,” he added.
Blocks roadshow comes to London
■ Sonangol EP held a roadshow in London on February 21 for
oil companies interested in bidding for exploration blocks in the
Kwanza and Congo Basins.
Roadshows for the 10 onshore blocks had previously been held
in the United States and Angola. Seven of the blocks are in the
Kwanza River Basin and the other three are in the Congo River Basin.
Severino Cardoso, Sonangol’s head of exploration, said
the blocks could contain up to 7 billion barrels of oil. There are
hopes that Angolan companies may take part in the bidding as
onshore drilling requires less investment than offshore wells. A
typical onshore well requires $15–20 million, whereas offshore
wells require as much as $100 million. The bidding process
in this auction round, the first since 2011, is expected to
begin shortly.
Sonangol puts
extra $750m
into block
SonaExpo 2014
■ Sonangol has doubled its stake in Block 15/06 to
30 per cent after buying Total’s 15 per cent stake for
$750 million. Block 15/06 is located around 350km
northeast of Luanda and covers 2,984 sq km in
deepwater varying between 220 and 1,700 metres.
The block is operated by ENI (35%) whose
partners are SSI, a joint venture between Sinopec
and Sonangol (25%), Norway’s Statoil (5%) and
Angola’s Falcon Oil Angola Investments (5%).
Total said its strategy was to concentrate its
investment in core assets and reinforce its activities
in Block 17 (the CLOV project) and Block 32.
Solar village
■ Sonangol mounted an impressive exhibition, SonaExpo 2014,
on Luanda Bay on February 21–23 as part of the company’s
38th-anniversary celebrations.
A total of 37 stands distributed information on Sonangol’s
products and services.
The 2,000-square-metre site on the bay’s broad promenade,
which is just 10 minutes’ walk from Sonangol’s head office,
represented 12 subsidiaries of the company.
The company’s industrial arm, Sonangol Investimentos
Industriais (SIIND), took the opportunity to show off products
from its 25 factories. These included fibre optic cables, paints,
metallic frames, locks and door handles, plastic utensils, electrical
fittings, transformers, pumps, PVC tubing and mattresses.
For more information on SonaExpo 2014 see: http://bit.ly/1iGiTQc
■ President José Eduardo dos Santos has inaugurated an
Shutterstock
innovative Sonangol-financed scheme to bring the benefits of
solar energy to rural villages.
Cabiri is a newly built village in Ícolo e Bengo municipality
about 70km from Luanda and has absorbed the population of
two existing villages. Here, 500 new homes have been equipped
with solar panels for their domestic energy needs. Each house
also has a solar-powered stove, which reduces the need to use
local timber resources. The village also uses solar power for
street lighting and for its public buildings such as a school, a
clinic, a market, a training and arts centre and a laundry.
Job Graça, minister for Planning and Territorial
Development, said Cabiri is “a model of self-sufficiency”.
The project aims to raise living standards in the Angolan
countryside by bringing the benefits of education and training
to farming communities and increase their productivity.
Fundação EDP in partnership with Energia
Inovação Holding (EIH) are responsible
for the project’s development. There are
plans to replicate the Cabiri model
throughout Angola.
Sonangol London
hosts industry dinner
■ Sonangol’s London office, Sonangol Limited, hosted a dinner and
dance spectacle as part of the annual International Petroleum Week
gathering. The venue was London’s venerable Victoria and Albert
Museum. Oil company executives and Sonangol employees from all
parts of the globe attended. New York based Angola dance group
Batoto Yetu gave a vibrant and energetic performance to the delight
of the 200 guests present at the event.
MARCH 2014 39
INDUSTRY
ANGOLAN
INDUSTRY BOOST
SBM Offshore
Paenal shipyardʼs landmark work on the
CLOV project shows that Angola’s efforts
to industrialise are bearing fruit; Universo
examines the accelerating development of
its onshore facilities
INDUSTRY
and giving more job opportunities for
Angolans,” adds Ramos.
Angola’s now proven capacity to
undertake such a huge and complex task
means valuable experience and skills have
been gained to apply to similar jobs on
FPSOs in future and serve the country’s
expanding deep-sea oil production.
What is CLOV?
The CLOV FPSO is at the centre of the $10
billion CLOV project in Block 17, which will
produce 160,000 barrels of oil per day. CLOV
is an acronym for the Cravo, Lírio, Orquídea
and Violeta oilfields (meaning Carnation,
Lily, Orchid and Violet, respectively). The
CLOV project consists of 34 deep undersea
Paenal in numbers
Quayside:
Water depth:
490 metres
10 metres
Crane capacity: 2,500 tonnes
Personnel:1,300
Angolan staff:
85 per cent
MARCH 2014 41
F
ormal completion of building and
fitting a huge topside unit for the
CLOV floating production, storage
and offloading vessel (FPSO)
sparked celebrations on December 5.
The operation represented a number
of “firsts”, not just for Angola but also for
Africa, at the Paenal dockyard at Porto
Amboim in Kwanza Sul, some 260km
south of Luanda. Mostly home-grown
trained Angolans fabricated and installed
the 1,836-tonne unit.
“This event has significance for the oil
sector in Angola and the world in general.
The manufacturing and installation of the
water treatment module on CLOV FPSO
is an example which demonstrates the
development of advanced technology
in Angola,” said Sonangol oil engineer
Geraldo André Raposo Ramos.
The CLOV FPSO is a giant 119,000tonne vessel, which can store 1.78 million
barrels of oil and is able to process 160,000
barrels per day. This was the first time a
ship of this scale and type had docked in
any African port, but it fitted comfortably
alongside Paenal’s 490-metre-long
deepwater quay.
Preparation for the fitting of the topside
unit involved assembling Africa’s largest
crane. Nicknamed “Jamba” (Elephant) by
the Angolans, the 4,500-tonne heavyweight
crane with 2,500-tonne lift capacity was
inaugurated in July last year.
The $2 billion CLOV FPSO made an
18,520-km journey from the Daewoo
Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering
yard in South Korea and arrived at Porto
Amboim on November 8. The lifting of the
module and positioning on the top deck
was completed within a week.
The smoothly run CLOV FPSO
operation has earned Angola kudos among
the continent’s oil-producing nations
and also raised the percentage of locally
manufactured content in the industry, a
key objective of the Angolan government.
“The project has contributed to the
increase of local content in the areas of
production, engineering, management
of projects, quality control, human
resources, administration and finances
and, logistics, as well as health and safety,
INDUSTRY
wells which reach depths of between 1,100
and 1,400 metres, and is located 140km
northwest of Luanda. CLOV is estimated
to hold 505 million barrels of crude.
Total has spent $1.6 billion in Angola
on CLOV, hires 100 nationals each year and
will invest $4 million in the Porto Amboim
community, said Jean-Michel Lavergne,
the company president. Total targeted an
increase in the number of Angolans on its
staff to 76 per cent last year, compared
with 68 per cent in 2006. It also aimed
to have half of its managers recruited
locally too.
Yards better: Paenal
Paenal is a joint venture between Sonangol
(40%), Dutch company SBM Offshore (30%)
and South Korea’s Daewoo (30%). Paenal
has absorbed investments of over $300
million and employs 1,300 people. Angola’s
policy of favouring local recruitment has
had profound effects on the local economy
and the career prospects of the population
of Kwanza Sul, creating jobs and skilled
workers for the oil industry.
Paenal complements similar yards in
Lobito and Soyo which also manufacture
topside modules, suction anchor piles,
CLOV FPSO in numbers
Weight:
Storage capacity:
Oil production:
119,000 tonnes
1.78 million barrels
160,000 bpd
Length:
305 metres
Width:
61 metres
Cost:
$2 billion
buoys and subsea systems. In addition
to participating in Total’s CLOV project,
Paenal is also involved in ENI Angola’s
N’Goma FPSO project and has two
wellhead platforms on its order book from
Chevron’s Cabinda Gulf Oil Company for
work on its Mafumeira project.
The shipyard is well placed. Recent presalt discoveries are just 96-km away and
Luanda is only three hours by road. The yard
has contributed massively to the knowledge
base of Angola’s oil and gas industry as well
as to its long-term development.
While Paenal clearly has expertise
in metallic structures, Ramos points
out that it also makes suction batteries
and mudmats (flat sheets of metal used
to support subsea structures where the
sea floor is soft), and the Heerema yard
alongside manufactures subsea structures,
including piping and risers.
Ramos believes that with the expansion
of the volume of oil and gas exploration,
Angola may need additional yards and has to
improve the capabilities of existing ones in
order to support future offshore operations.
“Much of the equipment and tools that
are currently fabricated outside Angola
could actually be made within Angola.
Sonangol EP appointed a new
management team at ESSA Angola
Nicknamed “Jamba” (Elephant) by the Angolans,
the 4,500-tonne heavyweight crane
was inaugurated in July last year
INDUSTRY
Sonils – Sonangol Integrated
Logistic Services
The main yards at the Sonils Base in
Luanda are Friedlander, FMC, Cameron,
Aker Solutions and General Electric (GE).
The Friedlander yard makes and
fits piping work, platform supports and
structures. Friedlander also manufactures
permanent guide bases (PGBs), well
jumpers (connections between wellheads
and manifolds) and mudmats, among
other things.
“CLOV FPSO demonstrates
the development of advanced
technology in Angola.”
– Engineer Geraldo Ramos
FMC yard activities include: hydraulic
testing, electronic and integration systems,
wellhead component maintenance and
storage of spare parts. FMC tests and
installs XTs or “Christmas trees” (sets of
valves used to control gases and fluids
on the sea floor). It also makes and tests
manifold and well jumpers.
Cameron’s yard fabricates, installs and
tests PGBs, frames for XTs and wellheads.
Aker Solutions’ activities include
equipment installation and support,
customer asset management, hiring of
spares and support for life in the oilfield.
GE provides production and
drilling services, LNG and industrial
energy generation. GE also conducts
welding, installation and testing of
XTs, jumpers and turbines, and the
production, maintenance and inspection
of drilling equipment.
The Sonamet yard at Lobito undertakes
engineering, fabrication, logistics and
offshore maintenance and installation
activities. The main equipment fabricated
includes tubing, riser towers and structures:
long base line (LBL) array frames, pipeline
end manifolds (PLEMs) and in-line tees
(ILTs), spools, jumpers, manifolds, PGBs
and XTs.
The Angoflex yard, which is situated
in the Sonamet yard, is divided in two
sections. One is for making umbilicals and
pipeline, rigid pipeline fabrication, single
or pipe-in-pipe (PIP). The main equipment
fabricated in this yard is umbilicals, rigid
pipes, LBL array frames, mudmats, PLEMs
and ILTs. p
Angola’s First Lady, Ana Paula dos Santos, christened the FPSO in the presence
of Jean-Michel Lavergne, president of Total, the main mover behind the CLOV
project. Francisco de Lemos José Maria, board president of Sonangol EP, and
Kwanza Sul’s Provincial Governor, Eusébio de Brito, were also present.
MARCH 2014 43
(Empresa de Serviços e Sondagens de
Angola) led by general director Engineer
Fernando da Fonseca and his deputy
Felisberto Vieira, with the aim of managing
rig fabrication for a range of activities.
However, Sonangol urgently needs to
train qualified technicians to maximise
the local content in the phase of project
execution, Ramos said.
Apart from Porto Amboim, Ramos said
Angola’s main bases for offshore activities
are at Malongo (Cabinda), Sonils (Luanda),
Kwanda (Soyo) and Sonamet (Lobito).
Ramos detailed examples below of
Sonils and Sonamet activities give an
idea of the complexity of the oil support
industry and the operations companies
perform in Angola.
Sonangol knowledge
MATCHMAKING
IN THE
Shutterstock
SUPPLY CHAIN
Seeking an ideal partner, especially in the age of the Internet,
has never been more fashionable. This process is not only the
domain of hopeful singles; it applies equally to Angolan and
international companies seeking to do business together
T
o meet national content and
majority ownership requirements,
Angola has to develop local
companies capable of operating
at the same high level as those from abroad.
The Centre for Enterprise Support (CAE)
at Angola’s Chamber of Commerce and
Industry has the task of fostering partnerships
between local and foreign companies.
CAE is becoming the first port of call for
international oil sector companies seeking
a local partner, as they are under pressure
to increase local content and provide it
through Angolan-controlled companies.
The oil and gas industry has especially
high quality demands for equipment and
services. Through these partnerships Angola
gains expertise, experience and capital.
The “matchmaking process” starts
when CAE receives requests from
international oil companies looking for
Angolan partners to take part in their
supply chain. CAE provides a process of
certification for Angolan companies. It
verifies that the company is genuine and
has the capabilities and operates in the
way it says it does. CAE also certifies that
the candidate company’s accounts are
in order, that it has a cash flow and, most
importantly, that it is at least 51 per cent
Angolan-owned.
The Angolan company also must have
been operating in the market providing
goods or services for at least a year.
If these would-be partners do not meet
any of the above prerequisites, then CAE
offers a consultancy service, free of charge,
which assists the companies in fulfilling
these requirements.
Once armed with CAE certification,
Angolan companies are prequalified to
be matched with a foreign company. CAE
then takes these companies to exhibitions,
fairs and conferences where they can meet
prospective foreign partner companies.
Certificates provided by CAE are valid for two
years and after that period must be renewed.
So what kind of partners are international
oil companies seeking? They need a wide
range of service providers, from computer
software specialists to deep-sea divers,
welders and caterers. To date, CAE’s database
has around 1,890 registered companies.
These companies currently provide
services such as consulting, transportation,
construction, chemicals, security, equipment
supply and maintenance.
So far CAE has certified 213 service
providers and suppliers; another 1,600
are en route to certification. This process
includes supplying CAE with documentation
showing that they have the required Angolan
capital and a financial report demonstrating
their accounts are legitimate and are in
order. CAE’s training has enabled Angolan
suppliers to participate more effectively
Sonangol knowledge
The organisation began work in
2005 and has a youthful team
made up of 41 staff members
in the oil industry’s competitive bidding
processes. It has improved the quality of
services and the development of viable
business plans as well as the acquisition of
managerial and financial acumen.
The CAE team
CAE has offices in four locations with
strong oil and gas industry clusters:
Cabinda, Soyo, Benguela and Luanda.
The organisation began work in 2005 and
has a youthful team made up of 41 staff
members, coordinated by Maria Inês João.
The CAE team also includes four
consultants whose role is to help raise the
skill levels of Angola’s small and mediumsized companies. They give technical
assistance, free advice, information and,
most importantly, time. The team
also helps plan and assist marketing
and promotion. CAE is keen to recruit
more consultants.
Esso Angola told Universo that
development of local suppliers is
a priority which it is addressing in
partnership with CAE.
“Training takes place during workshops
with potential suppliers and by advertising
in the media on business opportunities
open to bidding. At the end of 2012, 52 per
cent of Esso Angola contracts were assigned
to local companies, and the expectation is
to increase this percentage.
“The main challenges to overcome are
technical expertise, financial strength and
suppliers’ ability to meet global standards.
Esso Angola will continue to transfer
knowledge by supporting operations,
sharing experiences and conducting formal
training of suppliers on technical and
compliance procedures,” the company said.
Service promotion activities carried
out by CAE include attendance at public
events such as Luanda’s international
fair, FILDA, in July 2013. CAE registered
10 new companies during the fair and
made contact with many more companies
among the 50,000 visitors over six days.
CAE also escorted 20 Angolan
companies to Rio de Janeiro to take part
in the Offshore Technology Conference
(October 28–November 3) to meet
potential international partners. Angolan
entrepreneurs were able to participate in
conferences, workshops, business dinners
and meetings with Brazilian companies,
visit Brazil’s small and medium sized
enterprise organisation SEBRAE and state
oil company, Petrobras, and see how
suppliers are contracted to meet local
content rules in Brazil.
Assisted by Angola’s Ministry of
Oil, Sonangol EP, the Angolan Embassy
and the Angola–Brazil Chamber of
Commerce, among others, CAE engaged
in information-sharing opportunities with
Brazilian companies.
A case in point
One Angolan-owned company assisted by
CAE is FDF Lda, which provides building
and earthworks. CAE began assisting FDF in
2006 and later certified it. FDF has taken part
in various CAE-organised training courses
and has benefited from its consulting
services and technical assistance.
Armed with CAE certification, the
company gained contracts at the Kwanda
Base at Soyo for Angola LNG. The Business
Initiative Organisation subsequently
awarded FDF a prize for gold-standard
quality at a ceremony in New York. p
Dr. Job Vasconcelos
– CAE coordinator
Maria Inês João
– oil industry relations
Igor Minitra
– marketing
MARCH 2014 45
Sonangol results
Sonangol results
COMFORTABLY
ON COURSE
MARCH 2014 47
Shutterstock
During its 38th anniversary press conference
Sonangol underlined its commitment to meet its
2015 output target. Universo looks at the details
behind the company's 2013 results figures
Sonangol results
From left to right: Mateus Neto, Fernandes Mateus, Anabela Fonseca,
Francisco de Lemos J Maria, Ana da Costa, Fernando Roberto and Paulino Jerónimo
S
onangol EP is confident Angola will
meet its production benchmark of
2 million barrels per day next year
despite a slight dip in output in
2013, board president Francisco de Lemos
José Maria told journalists in Luanda on
February 25.
“As far as the target of 2 million bpd
in 2015 is concerned, this remains the
same. We are solving the problems as they
appear. As a contribution to the target
we will have the additional contribution
of two fields this year, in Block 17 and
another in 15/06,” Mr Lemos said during
a press conference marking Sonangol’s
38th anniversary. Production should
then continue at the target level for the
following five years, he added.
Block 17 includes the Total-operated
CLOV project, while Block 15/06 is run by
ENI. Both are due on stream this year.
Angolan oil production averaged just
less than 1.72 million bpd in 2013. Lower
flows from Blocks Zero, 15, 17 and 18, as
well as other technical and contractual
factors, were the cause of the company’s
reduced output in 2013, said board
president Lemos. He pointed to November
as the critical period when oil output
dropped to just over 47 million barrels.
“This fall in production in November
explains the overall drop in annual
output,” he said. “It ended up being
responsible for the decline of around
1 per cent in annual oil production.”
This contrasts with a 4.5 per cent rise in
production in 2012.
Sonangol is awaiting further
information from the block operators on
the reasons for this reduction in output.
More jobs
Sonangol EP provided an ever greater number
of employment opportunities in 2013 as staff
numbers jumped 9% to 8,892 from 8,159 the
previous year.
There was also good news on gas
production as Angola’s liquefied petroleum
gas (LPG) output leapt 9% to 298,002 tonnes,
and the new Soyo liquefied natural gas
(LNG) plant has started to repay investment
with its first supplies of 113,178 tonnes.
Sonangol EP made a profit of $2.96
billion on its production of just over 626
million barrels.
Owing to the fall in production and
lower international oil prices, Sonangol EP
receipts declined to $34.82 billion in 2013.
The average world oil price fell 2.7% to
$108.66 in 2013 from $111.65 the previous
year, but Angola’s average export barrel
Profits continue to
be healthy in 2013
Sonangol results
Sonangol EP made a
profit of $2.96 billion
on its production of just
over 626 million barrels
Financial highlights 2013
Sales $34.82 billion
Ebitda*
$5.169 billion
Net profits $2.96 billion
Investment in production
$5.73 billion
* Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation ** December 31, 2013
MARCH 2014 49
Sonangol results
Shipping operations
leapt 50 per cent to
10.9 million barrels transported
Angola LNG
declined even further to $107.80 from
$111.86 in 2012.
“The combination of these effects
– a drop in production and a fall in price –
reduced our sales receipts in the segment
of exploration and production by $3.687
billion,” said Mr Lemos.
He pointed out that, despite the drop
in production, other factors compensated
the company’s balance sheet during 2013.
Sonangol P&P yielded additional revenue
of $1.68 billion; an 11 per cent increase in
refined products output allowed a cut of 2
per cent in their imports; and Sonangol’s
LPG production quota nearly doubled to
1.2 million barrels.
Other positive contributions to the
company’s balance sheet came from its
shipping operations, which leapt 50 per
cent to 10.9 million barrels transported.
Sonangol’s housing subsidiary, Sonip,
sold 24,904 new homes, compared to
10,500 in 2012, bringing in an extra $426
million into the coffers. While Sonangol
Holdings received $132 million in dividends
compared to $54 million the previous year.
The company’s non-core businesses
in telecommunications, health and
investment contributed another $100
million. Other matters Mr Lemos touched
upon included the fact that Sonangol
investment in exploration and production
shot up 85.5 per cent to $5.73 billion.
Sonangol’s oil-refining production was
also higher, rising by 11.1 per cent to
Highlights 2013
Oil production 626 million barrels
LPG output 298,002 tonnes
LNG output 113,178 tonnes
Refining capacity 50 SONANGOL UNIVERSO
45,245 barrels per day
Sonangol results
Francisco de Lemos J Maria
Sonangol’s housing
subsidiary, Sonip,
brought in an extra
$426 million
Sonangol exports
Angola’s oil exports stood at 782,608
barrels in 2013. Asia dominated Angola’s
export markets, with China the leading
buyer with a take of 45% of the total. Board
member Anabela Fonseca said China was
likely to continue in first place for some
time to come.
India occupied second place with 12%
and the third largest importer was Taiwan,
while the former main market, the United
States, now lies in fourth position.
Other markets in 2013 were South
Africa, Spain, Brazil, Panama, Malaysia,
Japan, Ireland and Italy.
The company’s debt as of December
31, 2013 stood at $13.49 billion; 25 per cent
was short term with maturity within a year
and 75 per cent was long term maturing
up to 2022. Company debt rose 28 per
cent compared to 2012, with an additional
$6 billion contracted.
Sonangol contributed 86 per cent of its sales
to the Angolan government in the form of taxes.
During the press conference Anabela
Fonseca revealed that Sonangol was
winding up its exploration operations
in the Qayara and Najmah oilfields in
Nineveh province in Iraq's northwest.
The decision to leave was taken as a result
of the security situation in the area which
was preventing development work while
Sonangol’s costs were rising. The Iraqi
government accepted the company’s
declaration of force majeure last year.
The fortunes of Sonangol and
Angola are inextricably linked. Sonangol
affiliate Angola LNG provided more
evidence that the future is bright for
both when it made its first bulk sale
of butane gas from its Soyo facility on
March 3. It follows shipments of LNG
and LPG, and shows how Angola is
progressing towards self-sufficiency
in these products while affording new
export opportunities.
Sonangol’s investment of nearly $6
billion in exploration and production
last year, mentioned above by Mr Lemos,
is bound to reinforce this process and
will be reflected in greater output in
2014 and years to come. p
Shutterstock
2,083,776 tonnes, thanks to Luanda’s
refinery returning to full capacity of 45,245
bpd, up from 41,068 bpd in 2012.
MARCH 2014 51

Angolan offshore first

Transcription

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