Universo ANGOLA |OIL BUSINESS | CULTURE ISSUE 14 SUMMER …

SON

AN

GO

L UN

IVER

SO

ISSUE 14 – SU

MM

ER 2007

ISSUE 14 SUMMER 2007

UniversoUniversoANGOLA | O IL | BUS INESS | CULTURE

ON TIME: Sonangol Namibe joins the family ■ ON SITE: Greater Plutonio FPSO arrivesBlock 31 offshore Angola ■ IN A TIN: Pictures by Kandengues Unidos Luanda Orphans

4 SONANGOL UNIVERSO

30. Troubled EdenFor a region of such distractingbeauty and easy-going lifestyle,now, as it rebuilds its futureUíge has seen more than its fairshare of disruptive influences

36. Paradise inWaiting

With a new international airportand world-class hotels underconstruction, Angola’s tourismminister sees a time when thecountry can be less dependenton oil

42. Child’s Eye ViewThe camera obscura was thefirst mechanical means of repro-ducing a picture of an actualscene. Pictures taken byLuanda’s orphans demonstratehow potent this simple tech-nique still is.

46. Fly Like a BirdSince Icarus, it has been man’sdream to take wings, and skim-ming over the Atlantic surf ofthe Ilha a growing number ofyoung Luandans experience just that

50. Out to LunchHardly a week goes by withouta new restaurant opening itsdoors in Luanda, adding to theeclectic choice of eating placesavailable in the capital

There is an awesomegrandeur about almosteverything to do withthe oil industry: theambitious concepts, thehuge structures, theamazing technologicalachievements – and thealmost unimaginablesums invested to extractthe sought after gasand liquid.

In this issue we salute two momentousevents. The first is the arrival in Angolanwaters of the world’s biggest FPSO, exclusivelyphotographed for Universo soon after itarrived on Block 18.

The second is the delivery of the fifthSuezmax crude carrier to join the Sonangolfleet, the Sonangol Namibe, taking its totaltonnage to just under 800,000 deadweighttonnes. As our special report from Koreadescribes, her crew includes an elite cadre ofyouthful Angolan officers and cadets, productsof the Sonangol maritime scholarship scheme.

Elsewhere, we explore the highlands andforests of Uíge to reveal a province of muchbeauty and tranquillity, and imparting somehopeful possibilities in contrast to the starkernews that more usually comes from this region.

The future opportunities of tourism to thecountry as a whole are discussed in an exclusiveinterview with tourism minister EduardoChingunji, together with a profile of the cur-rent state of the industry.

The swooping kitesurfers of the Ilha are areminder of summer days now on the wane inAngola, and we are afforded some fascinatingglimpses of life in Luanda through the eyes ofchildren using old tin cans for cameras.

To round off the menu, we go on a gastro-nomic tour of Luanda’s favourite restaurants –a big treat, we hope.

--The Editor

Sonangol Department for Communication & Image –– Director: João Rosa Santos; Corporate Communications Assistant: Cristina de Novaes

This magazine is produced for Sonangol by Impact Media Global Ltd, 53 Chandos Place, London WC2N 4HS, UK, Tel: +44 20 7812 6400~ Fax: +44 20 7812 6413

Publisher: Sheila O’Callaghan; Group President: John Charles Gasser ; Project Consultant: Nathalie MacCarthyEditor: Peter Moeller ; Sub-editor: Ron Gribble; Art Director: Lisa Pampillonia; Advertising Design: Bernd Wojtczack; Circulation Manager: Matthew Alexander

Contributors: Nina Asz, Karen Iley, Bruce McMichael Cover Photo: m/t Sonangol Namibe (PMP Global)

All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical without prior permission in writing from the [email protected]

SonangolRua 1° Congresso do MPLA,

N.º 8-16Caixa Postal 1316, Luanda

República de Angola Tel: +244 2 391 182Fax: +244 2 391 782

Telex: 2089 SONANG [email protected]

Sonangol USA (Sonusa)1177 Enclave Parkway

Second Floor Houston,TX 77077

USATel: +1 281 920 7600Fax: +1 281 920 7666

[email protected]

Sonangol UKMerevale HouseBrompton Place

London SW3 1QEUnited Kingdom

Tel: +44 207 838 4600Fax: +44 207 589 9454

Telex: 893212 SONANG

Sonangol Asia3 Temasek Avenue

31-04 Centennial TowerSingapore 039190

Tel: : +65 64 16 3583Fax: +65 64 16 3582

CO

NTE

NTS INSIDE ANGOLAINSIDE SONANGOL

ISSUE 14 SUMMER 2007

50

30

36

46

8 14

18

24

Something Big

8. Our Growing FamilyAs the m/t Sonangol Namibe departs Korea’sOkpo shipyard to begin her travels across theoceans of the world, so begins another chapterfor Sonangol Shipping

14. Win-Win OpportunityAngolanisation and local content are buzzwords long familiar to Angola’s oil sector – andanother successful Sonangol-led initiative showsone way of making it happen

18. On Site – on TimeOn the eve of first oil from the Greater PlutonioField Universo meets Mary Shafer-Malicki,newly- appointed leader of the BP AngolaBusiness Unit

22. Small is BeautifulAngola’s exploration and production boom isset to continue as the oil majors are joined by agrowing band of local and international compa-nies defined by their entrepreneurial spirit

24. West Africa HubAs the principal support for its west and south-ern African operations, Vetco Gray’s Luandabase is centrally located to deliver rapidresponse to its sub-Saharan clients

6 SONANGOL UNIVERSO SUMMER 2007 7

Filters tippedWeatherford Angola, the

Angolan subsidiary of US engineer-ing company WeatherfordInternational, is to start exportingsand filters for oil well drilling oper-ations this year when the firstfactory on the African continentbegins production. The plant repre-sents an investment of around $20million and will manufacture filtersand drilling countersinks that willbe used in the energy, civil engi-neering, architecture and miningsectors.

Going to MarketSonangol may join the

Johannesburg and NewYork stock exchanges by2010, according to chair-man Manuel Vicente.Joining the stock marketswill allow Sonangol toaccess international capi-tal markets, with Vicentepointing out thatSonangol has never beenin better financial health as it istoday, and thus well placed toconsider such a move.

Chevron has notched upanother important discoveryin the deep waters offshoreAngola in Block 14. TheLucapa-1 well, spudded inlate 2006 in water depths of1,201m, is the tenth explo-ration discovery made in theblock since 1997.

Sonangol is developing plansto put some of its non-oil sectorinterests up for sale, with localcompanies being the preferredbuyers. According to chairmanManuel Vicente, the develop-ment of the Angolan businesssector will enable the companyto sell off peripheral businessesand allow the group to focus onits core exploration and produc-tion activities.

Saipem has scooped $1 billionworth of contracts for offshoreand onshore services around theworld including Angola. Saipemwill begin installing a pipelinesystem in Chevron’s offshoreBlock 0 Mafumeira oilfield at theend of 2007.

Total has flowed first oil fromthe huge Dália oilfield, devel-oped at a cost of $4 billion.Lying in Block 17, the field isexpected to pump up to240,000bpd and is the first inthe world to produce such vis-cous, acid oil at depths ofbetween 1,200 and 1,500m.

Mustang Engineering, a sub-sidiary of international energyservices company John WoodGroup, is to design the compli-ant piled tower (CPT) forChevron’s Tombua–Landanadevelopment project, locatedwithin the eastern portion ofBlock 14 in approximately 366mof water.

N E W S I N B R I E F

Terminal expertiseRoyal Boskalis Westminster and the Jan

de Nul Group have been awarded the con-tract to develop the landing site for the SoyoLNG export terminal. The $400m contractinvolves dredging an access channel and cre-ating an artificial island to allow the LNGcarriers to berth. About 5 million cubic metresof dredged material will be used to create140 hectares of new land on which theterminal will be built. A contract foradvance engineering and procure-ment has also been awarded toengineering companyBechtel. The project isscheduled for completionby the end of 2008.

New PartnerEni is to join the $4 billion project to

build an LNG plant at Soyo in northernAngola after buying a 13.6 per centstake in a company in charge of theproject, the Angola LNG Limited consor-tium (ALNG). Partners in the projectinclude Sonangol, Chevron, Total and

BP. Earlier this year, super-major ExxonMobil

transferred its 13.6per cent stake in the

project toSonangol,whose share

rose to 36.4per cent.

Local presenceAmerican Bureau of

Shipping (ABS) is expandingits Angolan presence by hiringnew staff. John Gallagher,director of offshore technolo-gy and business development,ABS Europe, says: “We areworking closely with theAngolan government to iden-tify and train suitable localcandidates as part of our pro-gramme to assist indeveloping a core of maritimeexpertise within the country.”The classification societymight set up a second officein the northern city of Soyo tomanage its work on the pro-posed liquefied natural gas(LNG) terminal.

First meetingAngola’s Senior oil

officials have for the firsttime attended a quarterly

meeting of the Organisation ofPetroleum Exporting Countries (Opec)

since being admitted to the organisation in January. The assembly took place on March 12.Angola is the newest member of the influential group, and is the organisation’s first new membersince 1975, but is not yet subjected to monthly Opec production quotas.

Opec meetings generally take place in Austria at the Vienna headquarters of the organisationthat represents the interests of 12 leading oil production and exporting countries, which includeIran, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.

The next Opec ministerial conference has been scheduled for September, when the decision willbe made on which of Angola’s three crudes – Cabinda, Palanca and Girassol – will be used in thecartel’s oil price index. Opec’s benchmark index is set according to production and export levels ofmember countries.

Angola’s membership of Opec follows a significant growth in the country’s political influence inWest Africa after agreeing ties with São Tomé and Príncipe and heading the revival of the region-al co-operation body, the Gulf of Guinea Commission (GGC). Along with the twoPortuguese-speaking countries, the GGC is made up of Gabon, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea,Cameroon and the Republic of Congo.

China exitSonangol’s negotiations with Sinopec have ended

without agreement over ambitious plans to invest in a$3 billion oil refinery at Lobito. Chinese companies haveplayed a leading role in the recent oil-driven reconstruc-tion boom, with Angola recognised as one of China’smost important suppliers of crude oil. Planning for theLobito refinery will now focus on producing a range ofproducts that will be marketed interna-tionally, rather than focusingsolely on supplyingChina.

Spoilt for ChoiceSonangol sponsored 2nd Regional Deepwater Offshore West Africa Conference and

Exhibition, being held for the first time in Luanda from October 3-6, has an embarrassment ofriches in attracting no less than 175 abstracts.

“We had planned to present no more than 60 during the three-day event,” says Gerard Kreeft,managing director of the organisers, Energywise. “But rather than reject so many valuable con-tributions, we have decided to re-jig the programme to run three parallel sessions instead of theoriginal two. This means that the technical committee will now be able to select 90 – 100abstracts,” he adds.

The unexpected number of high-quality papers received is also reflected in the keenness to par-ticipate in the exhibition running in conjunction with the conference at Luanda’s newstate-of-the-art Talatona Conference Centre.

More than 50 per cent of the space has already been booked promising a potentially successfulevent.

ILLUSTR

ATIO

NS: G

REG

GR

IGO

RIO

U

SUMMER 2007 9

As the m/t Sonangol Namibedeparts Korea’s Okpo shipyardto start her travels across theoceans of the world, so beginsanother chapter for SonangolShipping

Growingfamily

our

Growingfamily

ourN E W B U I L D I N G

PM

P G

LOB

AL

AAt precisely 18.10 on the evening of March 22, asher last mooring line slips into the waters of No 2Quay at the sprawling Daewoo Shipbuilding andMarine Engineering (DSME) shipyard south ofPusan, Korea, the motor tanker Sonangol Namiberemains motionless.

Like a person just awakened from their slum-bers to reflect on their plans for the future, soperhaps there was a moment of contemplation ona life of service – maybe 30 years – about to begin.Three years after she was conceived with the sign-ing of the contract to build Hull 5277 in June 2004,Sonangol’s newest Suezmax crude carrier was onthe point of leaving her birthplace, never to return.

Now, with the last inches of welding complete,the myriad of classification and survey formsapproved and signed, fuel tanks topped-up andevery surface from stem to stern, gleaming withnew paint, the Sonangol Namibe had come aliveand was almost on her way – first to Singapore andthen to Mina Al Fahal, Oman to receive her firstcargo destined for Meizhou, China.

The previous day she had been officially namedby Lucinda Guimarães, commercial operationsdirector of Sonangol EP, in the presence of chair-man and Chief Executive Manuel Vicente, Angola’sMinister of Petroleum Desidéiro Costa and Mr S. T.Nam, DSME president and chief executive, and ahost of well wishers from the company and otherswho will be involved with her future.

SUMMER 2007 11

tings, in various specialist areas spread acrossthe 400-hectare shipyard. These are thenbrought together in the huge dry docks forwelding together.

For Namibe, stage one, involving the cut-ting of the steel plates to laying the keel, tookjust over four months – from June to October2006. Ten weeks later, on January 20, the large-ly completed hull was floated for final fittingout alongside a quay.

This tight schedule is crucial to avoidpotential bottlenecks in the dry dock and alleffort is focused on floating out at the earliestopportunity to enable on-time delivery datesto be achieved.

Two months later, just eight months afterthe first steel was cut, Namibe was delivered toher new owners.

With such an intricate, fast-moving opera-tion, heavy responsibility rests on theshoulders of Mr Andersson and his team fromSeaquest Marine Project Management, spe-cialists in working with owners and builders toensure that ships are delivered to specificationand in superior condition.

The launch of Namibe also marks a highpoint in the harmonious bonds enjoyed bySonangol and DSME. Speaking at the naming

ceremony, Baptista Sumbe Sonangol USAexecutive chairman said: “It would be difficultto measure the excellent relationship betweenSonangol and DSME, and I offer my warmthanks to its management and staff for thisvaluable support.”

His words were echoed by DSME presidentMr S. T. Nam, who said: “Our relationship haslasted for ten years. We are very impressed bythe management of Sonangol and with thequality of their staff and supervisors who haveworked with us at Okpo.”

These sentiments were endorsed by petro-leum minister Desidério Costa who said:“Angola’s oil industry is growing fast. We hopethat next year production will pass 2 millionbpd. Other important milestones will be theAngola LNG project and the new refinery atLobito. These developments are possiblethrough the vision of our leadership, ourhumility, hard work – and the contribution ourpartners.”

Mr Sumbe see these as early days. InFebruary 2005 he said: “We are growing. Ialready have a mandate to go for three moreunits if the market is right, and to continueSonangol’s policy of becoming an integratedoil company from exploration right through to

10 SONANGOL UNIVERSO

As she performed the ceremony in thespring sunshine, Ms Guimarães said: “As longas she sails, I wish this remarkable shipfavourable weather and smooth voyages. MayGod bless her and all who sail in her.” Whileship’s horns hooted around the yard, the nameSonangol Namibe was revealed on her bows.

She is the fifth Suezmax tanker to join theSonangol Shipping fleet, bringing its total ton-nage to almost 800,000 deadweight tonnes(dwt). All have been built to the same159,000dwt design, with minor modificationsbased on operating experience and to meetthe requirements for greater efficiency.

The entire newbuilding was overseen at theDSME yard by a Sonangol team under thedirection of Sonangol Shipping fleet managerCatarino Pereira.

“Namibe is very similar to Kassanje, deliv-ered in June 2005,” says project manager JanAndersson who supervised the building opera-tion. “The only changes are to the design ofthe hull, mainly to get better performance forthe same 22,920bhp engine power.”

This means that her single 55-tonne screwwill drive her through the water at a servicespeed of 15.5 knots, as against 15.2 for the firstin the series, Sonangol Girassol – an apparently

small margin, but one which can represent sig-nificant savings in the faster delivery of a fullcargo of crude and with greater fuel efficiency.

“Namibe also embodies other improve-ments in construction which will increase herlife to 30 years, as against 20 years for her sis-ters in the fleet,” says Mr Andersson. “Thesemainly relate to upgraded structural features,improved materials and more detailed weld-ing. For example, Namibe’s closed doublebottom extends into the aft pump room,which adds safety and strength – and there isbuilt-in permanent means of access to everypart of the vessel to allow for easier close-upinspections.”

With its registration in Nassau, Bahamas,Namibe embodies all the latest safety require-ments and is equipped with state-of-the-artnavigation and communications equipment.

State-of-the-art applies equally to the hi-tech DSME shipyard, now one of the worldleaders in shipbuilding and capable of turningout more than 50 large commercial vessels,offshore structures and military craft a year.

Its secret is minutely planned mass pro-duction techniques that involve thepre-construction of gigantic ship-sections,complete with internal piping and other fit-

Master andCommander

Ever since he first went tosea in 1970, Captain DeepakNigam has always wanted towork in tankers, though hisearly experience was gainedin containers and generalcargo carriers. “I relish thechallenge,” he says. “Tankersare just so much moredemanding.”

Having worked withWallem Ship Managementsince 1975, he obtained hisMaster’s ticket in 1981 andwas promoted master in1984. Captain Nigam firstcame to Sonangol Shippingin 2005, since when he hasskippered both Girassol andKassanje.

Prior to that, he hadworked mainly on ultra-largecrude carriers (ULCCs) andwas the take-over master ofboth the “jumbo-ised” Jahre

Viking, as well as the SeaGiant, the world’s largestdesigned-and-built vessel.

“I am especially lookingforward to commandingNamibe,” he says. “She is afine new vessel and has ben-efited from the experiencegained in building and oper-ating her Sonangol sisters.I’m also looking forward topassing on my knowledgeand experience to my youth-ful team of officers andcadets.”

“As long as she

sails, I wish this

remarkable ship

favourable

weather and

smooth voyages.

May God bless

her and all who

sail in her.”

Lucinda Guimarães,Commercial Operations

Director, Sonangol EP

PROUD MOMENT: Mrs Lucinda Guimarães, Commercial Operations Director, Sonangol EP namesm/t Sonangol Namibe, applauded by DSME President, Mr S.T. Nam. SHINING EXAMPLE: Every surface glistens as Sonangol Namibe is ready to take her leave of Okpo

ON DUTY: Second Engineer Francisco Miranda with Manuel Vicente,Chairman Sonangol EP and Angola’s Minister of Petroleum, H.E. DesidérioCosta, who takes a keen interest in Sonangol’s maritime scholarship scheme

PMP G

LOB

AL

DM

SE

SUMMER 2007 1312 SONANGOL UNIVERSO

distribution – as well as offering trainingopportunities in all the aspects of vessel management.”

At Okpo, he reaffirmed these points, firstby acknowledging the success of the Stena-Sonangol Pool. “It is a perfect marriage,” hesaid. “It has performed above the market aver-age, profiting from all opportunities that themarket can offer, from the Atlantic to thePacific and Indian Oceans.”

He went on to draw attention to the youngAngolans who form a large part of the teamresponsible for operating the Namibe underCaptain Deepak Nigam, explaining that theywere part of swelling band of graduates pro-duced by Sonangol’s ‘shipping academy.’

To date, the scholarship scheme has pro-duced some 23 graduates – 14 of themengineers and nine deck officers. At any onetime there are about 60 cadets in training atcolleges in Scotland and India, and onSonangol vessels.

“The scheme is working well,” agreesRichard Speight, assistant principal head ofmaritime studies at the Glasgow College ofNautical Studies where the students spend oneyear of their two-year course. “We are nowanticipating that the first of our Angolan grad-uates will receive his master’s certificate withinfive years.”

So Sonangol’s shipping academy, which is

slowly building a cadre of trained deck officersand engineers, is the start of a new maritimetradition for Angola – served by professionalswho will bring a host of new skills and jobs tothe country.

“Remember, we can always build ships,”concluded Mr Sumbe at the naming ceremo-ny. “But please join me in saluting these youngmen. They are our truly precious resource –examples of the greatest contribution thatSonangol can provide for our nation in edu-cating its young people and providing themwith a good job opportunity.

“Sonangol will continue to train more andmore candidates. Shipping is part of the corebusiness of the company. And with the adventof Angola LNG and the Lobito Refinery, moreships will be needed, and surely the shippingculture will grow and be consolidated here inAngola.” ❖

ShipmatesThe 27 crew who sailed in the m/t Sonangol Namibe from

Okpo to Singapore and Mina Al Falal, Oman, on March 22 underthe command of Captain Deepak Nigam included five Angolanofficers and three cadets from the Sonangol training scheme.

Second officer Frederico Pereira, 27, who was born in Uígeprovince, started his college education studying economics along-side his elder brother, before winning a Sonangol sea training

scholarship. His wife is a schoolteacher in Luanda.“There is always something new to learn at sea,” he says.

“Since graduating, I have served in all the Sonangol ships.”Pereira joined Namibe in good time to be involved in the finalstages of construction and classification.

“I found the participation in the sea trials really interesting,”he says. “I’m especially interested in navigation and cargo man-agement, and on this new vessel there are a lot of new skills andexpertise to acquire.”

Second engineer Francisco Miranda from Luanda was ateacher of electrical drawing when he won his Sonangol scholar-ship, going on to become the first engineer to gradate in theprogramme.

“Going to sea has brought a completely new life for me,” hesays. “I love the travelling and I have served in all vessels exceptthe Sonangol Luanda. I’m really enjoying the challenges of thisnew ship.”

The other Angolan officers are third engineer Edmur Costa,second officer Alfredo Massango and fourth engineer EulerMiguel. The cadets include engine cadet António Paim and deckcadets Orlando Vandik and António Pita.

The remaining officer complement is made up of chief engi-neer Paramjit Singh, chief officer R. Singh, electrical engineer A.Kumar, second engineer Rajesh Shah and third officer HoshangWadia, all from India.

“Remember, we

can always build

ships, but please

join me in

saluting these

young men. They

are our truly

precious resource”

Baptista Sumbe, Executive Chairman,

Sonangol USA CompanyFrederico Pereira and Second engineer Francisco Miranda

“Our relationship has

lasted for ten years, and

we are very impressed by

the management of

Sonangol, and with the

quality of their staff and

supervisors who have

worked with us at Okpo.”

Mr S T Nam, President, Daewoo Shipbuilding &

Marine Engineering

ON COURSE:

m/t Sonangol Namibe undergoes her trials in the South China Sea

VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE:

Sonangol Namibe prepares todepart from the DSME yard, Okpo, South Korea

DSM

E

PMP G

LOB

AL

m/t Sonangol Namibe Crude oil tanker, built by the DaewooShipbuilding and Marine Engineering Co LtdDelivered: March 22, 2007

Length overall 274mLength between perpendiculars 264mBreadth, moulded 48mDepth, moulded 23.7mDesigned draft, moulded 16mScantling draft, moulded 17mDeadweight tonnes 158,425Service speed 15.5 knotsMain engine Man-B&W6S70MCShip’s complement 26

Classification,American Bureau of Shipping:+A1(E), Oil Carrier ESP, SH, SHCM, RES,+AMS, +ACCM, ES, UWILD, VEC-L FL(30)

M/T Sonangol Namibe is the fifth Suezmaxtanker to join the Sonangol Shipping fleet,technically managed by Wallem ShipManagement and part of the Stena-Sonangol Suezmax Pool.Her four Sonangol sister ships are (by age):Sonangol Girassol 158,706dwt, SonangolLuanda 159,178dwt, Sonangol Kizomba159,168dwt and Sonangol Kassanje158,706dwt

Total fleet 794,183dwt

SUMMER 2007 15

D E V E L O P M E N T

win-winopportunity


Angolanisationand local contentare buzz wordslong familiar toAngola’s oil sector– and anothersuccessfulSonangol-ledinitiative showsone way ofmaking it happenMMost oil majors operating offshore

Angola have become accustomed to pay-ing high prices for goods and services – butthe old adage that paying more gets youbetter quality may not be as true today asit once was.

During the civil war years, explorationcompanies had little choice but to importnearly everything as the private sector hadalmost ground to a halt and the high-techdemands of the industry meant that cut-ting corners could never be an option.

“The oil business is one of the mostcomplex markets – deepwater oil drilling isnot an ordinary service industry,” says LarsBenson, executive director of CAE-ApoioEmpresarial, a Luanda-based businesscentre which helps to match small andmedium-sized Angolan companies withcontracts to provide goods and services tothe oil industry. “The problem facing oper-ators is the high costs of doing business aswell as the quality of goods and servicesthey receive in an industry where mistakescan cost millions of dollars per minute,”says the senior US business expert withconsiderable experience of Angola.

In five years of peace, the Angolanbusiness environment has flourished, withmore local entrepreneurs trying to get ontothe lucrative oil industry ladder than everbefore. This has enabled a better selectionof goods and services to be available local-ly, from the most basic to the highlyspecialised – especially those tailored to

the oil industry.CAE-Apoio Empresarial is the brain-

child of Sonangol’s Projecto deDesenvolvimento da Participacao Nacional– Project for the Development of NationalParticipation [Universo 6]. PDNP’s missionis to ensure that more private Angolanbusinesses can become involved in thecountry’s lucrative oil sector. It also tries toincrease links between foreign and localfirms working in the industry and providesmanagement and business training toAngolan entrepreneurs.

Mr Benson is convinced that by usingmore local enterprises rather than relyingon imports, the oil companies can cutcosts without compromising demand forquality. “It’s true you can’t go out and buy ajumpsuit in Luanda tomorrow. But there isno need to go to Korea to source it – youcan get it made here,” he says.

“Local businesses might not have thesmartest signs on the outside, but they canprovide quality goods and services. It’s notthat you can’t get quality in Angola, youjust may not know where to find it. That’swhy we are here to help.”

In addition to Sonangol, CAE-ApoioEmpresarial is sponsored by BP, Chevron,Esso and Total, and managed by anAmerican NGO. It has a database of morethan 300 local companies, has carried outdue diligence checks on a further 50 andmore are coming onto its books every day.

Mr Benson believes that the potential

AN

TH

ON

Y F

OR

ON

DA

SUMMER 2007 17

local companies to win these contracts.”Entrepreneurs often complain that the

legacies of war include heavy bureaucracy andhigh costs to get businesses up and running.Indeed, according to World Bank data, Angolaranks 156th out of 175 countries in terms ofease of doing business and it is not alwayseasy to survive in this tough environment,especially for small Angolan companies strug-gling to juggle slender resources.

Despite the challenges, Mr Benson says therange, availability and quality of goods andservices provided by local companies havegenerally increased. However, the specifics ofthe oil industry mean that the barriers to entryremain high.

“The potential for Angolan companies toprovide the quality services required is a chal-lenge because offshore drilling is such ahigh-tech industry. And oil companies gener-ally only work with companies they alreadyknow. We introduce them to new companies.”

Despite the evident difficulties of workingfor the oil industry, CAE-Apoio Empresarialhas already helped 22 Angolan businesses tosecure contracts worth around $2 million, pro-viding the sector with a range of productsfrom pumps, overalls and stationery to clean-ing, technical maintenance and cateringservices.

Mr Benson describes the relationshipbetween the two sides as “push and pull”, with

Angolan companies keen to get into the indus-try and the big players saying they want towork with local suppliers. But both sides, hesays, should be realistic about the scope fortheir collaboration.

“All oil companies will say they want towork with Angolan companies, but in reality itis often difficult for them to go out and findlocal suppliers,” he says. “I tell Angolan com-panies to be careful in what they wish forbecause having a contract with an oil compa-ny can be more difficult than they imagine.”

However, Mr Benson has no doubt that themore local companies can secure a foothold inthe oil industry, the better it will be forAngola’s long-term development.

“People always talk about the curse of oil.But one of the benefits of this industry is thatits supply chains are very advanced and therewill be a technological transfer which will ben-efit not only oil but other sectors, fromagriculture to mining,” he says.

“As more companies win contracts, thereare going to be more jobs created forAngolans. This is a win-win situation for theprivate sector in Angola, for the oil industry asa whole and for the oil operators.”

With the training offered, Angolans will begiven a better chance to compete with foreigncompanies. This process will strengthen localcompanies and help to make sure that more ofthe country’s wealth stays in Angola. ❖


for Angolan companies to supply the oilindustry is enormous. “Some of the oil majorsare spending hundreds of millions of dollarson operating in Angola,” he says. “We want tomake sure as much of that money as possiblestays here.”

The business centre wants to maximise thebenefit to the oil companies and the morelocal companies become involved in theindustry, the more jobs will be created forAngolans. This process will also help to pro-mote a better knowledge of the oil sectorwithin the country, thereby creating an econo-my that is more self-sufficient and less relianton foreign know-how.

The aim is to use the oil and gas industryas a springboard to promote growth across thecountry, which can contribute to a more sus-tainable type of development and also helpother areas of the economy to flourish.

In the past, the lack of openness on thepart of foreign oil companies and the highcosts of doing business in the industry havemade things difficult for small and medium-sized Angolan companies. It has sometimesdiscouraged them from competing for entryinto the market.

Both Angolan and foreign business con-sultants work from CAE-Apoio Empresarial’ssmall offices in the Ingombotas district ofLuanda, helping clients to prepare for the diffi-cult jump to the oil industry.

The centre offers training about twice amonth on most business subjects includingquality management, bidding for and manag-ing contracts, marketing and financialmanagement. It also provides information onupcoming contracts in the oil industry andhelps to polish up local companies’ bids so thatthey can compete against foreign suppliers.

In the last few years, Angola has undergonea massive economic upswing, essentially dueto increasing oil production and high crudeprices. Foreign entrepreneurs have been tryingto get in on the action, but the governmentand Sonangol are on a drive to ensure thatmore Angolan companies are included in theoil industry food chain.

“Beyond being under pressure from thegovernment to Angolanise, most of the majorsrecognise that this is good business practice,”says Mr Benson. “We’re helping the oil indus-try to find new potential producers of goods orservices in Angola and our interest is to assist

Building a FutureThe number of cranes on the Luanda skyline is a sign of the unprecedented construction boom in

the capital. Small Angolan companies such as DSM Comercio e Industria Limitado, whose core busi-ness is building homes, clinics, schools and low-income housing as well as providing water filtrationsystems, are growing continuously to keep pace with the demands of the market. DSM, establishedin 2005, has been on CAE-Apoio Empresarial’s books since late 2006.

“We know we have a good product,” says administrator Cilas Cardoso. “Our construction systemis American – in most cases we use wood panels and steel pillars which allow us to build more quick-ly than companies using European cement-based systems. We manage to cut the costs to the client,primarily because we save a lot of time.

“We have a mix of clients including governments, companies and individuals. But one untappedmarket is the oil industry where there is a lot of work to be done, and at the same time we can learna lot from them too. The oil companies here have very strict rules and want to make sure that thecompanies they give business to are up to international standards.

“We’re a small construction company so we’re still going through the process of ensuring thatthings like health and safety and quality control are up to scratch. This includes everything from mak-ing sure our books are in order to putting up handrails on all the staircases.

“We see these kinds of requirements as an opportunity to get the company 100 per cent stream-lined, rather than as a barrier to entry. A business like ours will never be a candidate to work with oil

Maintaining GrowthAn enterprising Angolan company that provides maintenance services for homes, including

those owned or managed by oil companies, has already succeeded in winning a contract with BPworth $1 million a year.

Andre Ngeya, who is business development manager of Grupo Comercio e Industria Limitado(Coceeme), says: “Our existing contract with BP is mainly for housing maintenance. We are nownegotiating a second contract with them and we are also in talks with Total and Sonangol to pro-vide them with services.

“The oil companies can offer us a secure market and guarantees that we will be paid, which isobviously important for us. But working for them isn’t easy. Their standards are such that we haveto present ourselves with a certain image of quality.

“They watch our evolution closely in terms of quality and management to make sure we aremoving in the right direction, and they also organise meetings and training sessions to help us, soin this way we are also winners. We became involved with CAE-Apoio Empresarial through BP andwe have already had several meetings, which have definitely helped us to develop our businessand management structure.

“There are rules and attitudes that are now starting to penetrate our local market: thingsrelating to security, quality and respect for the environment that didn’t exist before. Taking theseon board has helped our company to develop and gives us a better image when we go to negoti-ate contracts with the oil companies.

“We have done relatively well, and from our contract with BP alone we manage to make upto around one million dollars annually. But it wasn’t easy for us to get to this point because thelaws in Angola are not always well adapted to the private sector.

“The problem

facing operators

is the high costs

of doing business

as well as the

quality of goods

and services they

receive in an

industry where

mistakes can cost

millions of

dollars per

minute.”

Lars Benson, Executive Director,

CAE-Apoio Empresarial

SUMMER 2007 19

P R O D U C T I O N

OOn-site ntimen-site ntime

PMP

GLO

BA

L

‘‘I

On the eve of first oilfrom the GreaterPlutonio Field, Block18, Universo meetsMary Shafer-Malicki,newly-appointedleader of the BPAngola Business Unit

“I love animals, and when I wasvery young I decided I wasgoing to be a veterinary doctor,”says the newly-appointedleader of BP’s Angola BusinessUnit in her office overlookingLuanda’s business district. “Butwhat actually happened wasthat my father who was in theoil business arranged for me towork as a summer casual atAmoco.

“I went back the secondsummer, and then it was timefor university. The medicalthing just flew away.” Aftergraduating as a chemical engi-neer, Mary Shafer-Malicki, whogrew up in Oklahoma, joinedthe company where she hadfirst become hooked on oil.After stints in North America,Holland, Scotland and Vietnamshe now finds herself in Angolawhere one of BP’s newest andbiggest projects, GreaterPlutonio is about to flow firstoil. The company has had apresence offshore Angola sincethe mid 1990s and is a non-operating partner in thedevelopment areas of Block 15(26.67 per cent) and Block 17(16.67 per cent) as well asAngola LNG (13.64 per cent).But dwarfing these two involve-ments is its operatorship of thedevelopment areas blocks 18and 31. (see panel)

SUMMER 2007 21

ments in their infrastructure. Already a lotof work is being done here which is satis-fying for us and it helps them to becomereal players on the international scene.

One of the serious shortages in the off-shore industry is trained and skilledstaff. How does BP Angola intend toaddress this industry-wide problem?

Shafer-Malicki: Mostly by searchingfor talent everywhere, and growing someourselves. We have held recruiting eventsin Angola, the US, UK, Portugal, Brazil,and South Africa – anywhere we thinkAngolans are studying. We’re looking forevery skill from support functions likeaccounting, IT, and HSE, to the moretechnical disciplines such as subsurfacecapability and drilling.

We are also offering scholarships hereand abroad to increase the talent pool.BP and Agostinho Neto University (UAN)have signed a Protocol of Co-operation,aimed at improving the technical stan-dards and the numbers of locally trainedengineering and geosciences graduates.

This involves bursaries and scholar-ships for the Faculty of Sciences andEngineering students, support in curricu-lum development, text books, equipmentand facilities. For example, BP has recent-ly made a substantial donation ofengineering textbooks to UAN – in thePortuguese language. It’s our way to say:“We both want the same thing: a qualityengineering programme.

A sub-protocol was signed with theFaculty of Law to jointly develop an LLMprogramme in Oil & Gas to be imple-mented in Angola. The programme waslaunched in April and there are currently40 graduates attending the course.Having said this, we recongnise that thegap in trained and qualified Angolans is aproblem that confronts the wholeupstream industry.

BP has been involved in Angola foralmost 40 years. What does the companysee as the main highlights – and the dif-ficulties – of operating in the country?

Shafer-Malicki: For me, the value ofrelationships has been one of the high-lights. It can take time and a lot of effort,but when you are looking for the same

thing – mutually beneficialdevelopment of resources,people and the country – it iswell worth the effort. The dif-ficulties arise with balancing ahuge amount of activity andthe pressure on the supplychain so that we can developeconomic projects that meetall the stakeholders’ needs.

How important is offshoreAngola to the BP group glob-ally – now and in the future?

Shafer-Malicki: First off,think about what LordBrowne said years ago about

production strategy: BP wants to be inthe biggest hydrocarbons basins in theworld. Angola hosts one of the world’sgreat hydrocarbon basins, and BP hasmade a commitment that we are going tobe part of its development. At theplanned peak of our development,Angola could be contributing almost 10per cent of BP’s total global production.So that’s a big piece of business.

But perhaps it is more than that. Weknow what we are building here and wewant to be important to Angola, just asAngola is important to BP. We want BPAngola to be a genuine Angolan energycompany, and we want to tap into the tal-ents of this country for them to beavailable freely throughout the companyworldwide.

What are the positives in working with acompany such as Sonangol?

Shafer-Malicki: We need to under-stand each other’s needs and work towardthe same things – it is about mutualadvantage. We know that this is what isgoing to give us our local energy compa-ny, and we want to develop people tohave this mutual benefit for the country.

It is about value and balancing localcontent and with getting efficiency in thesupply chain. Because we are all on thesame side of the table it’s easier to work,but it needs healthy tension because wedon’t always want the same things at thesame time.

Sonangol is key to delivering a suc-cessful project, as they are involved indecisions at every stage. They take veryseriously their role to manage the coun-try’s resources, and we have to respectthat.

The seminal moment of “first oil” isalways a time for celebration and espe-cially exciting now, as it provides anotherboost towards Angola’s immediate pro-duction goal of two million bpd. It is alsoknown to have been one of Lord Browne’scherished ambitions for BP to be up thereat the top.

The continuing development onBlock 18, and the exploration success inBlock 18 and the massive potential ofBlock 31 could see BP as the largest oper-ator in Angola by 2012 – and thus,ironically, achieve that goal in this highprofile African oil province.

“I think we’ll just pip Esso to thepost,” says Mary Shafer-Malicki with asmile. “But you’ll have to look at theirpredictions and our predictions – it willbe very close between us.” ❖


In a year that has hardly been one ofthe kindest for the oil major, it is clearthat for this groundbreaking project off-shore Angola, BP’s underlying focus onsafety and quality has driven every deci-sion and action by the teams andcontractors involved in its inception andconstruction in many parts of the world –not least the FPSO Greater Plutonio’s epic10,700 nautical mile journey across threeoceans.

“The first week out of Korea it didn’tget very far, thanks to a typhoon in theSouth China Sea,” recalls Shafer-Malicki.“But the rest of the trip via Singapore andthe Sunda Straits – no pirates! – and theIndian Ocean was without incident.

“I followed progress every day on theInternet, and when our FPSO departedSouth Korea on November 25, simultane-ously we arranged a traditional Kiandacelebration on the Ilha here in Luanda.It’s a centuries-old blessing of the watersto bring good catches for the season.”

So, as the 55,000dwt vessel was beingcommissioned at its Block 18 location,what have been the major engineeringsuccesses thus far?

Shafer-Malicki: Since project sanc-

tion and approval in early 2004, BP andour partners have seen the near-comple-tion of BP’s largest subsea project.

The FPSO Greater Plutonio is as longas three football pitches, has storage for1.77 million barrels of oil, can handlepeak production rates of up to240,000bpd and can treat produced waterat a rate of 300,000bpd. It can process upto 380 million cubic feet of gas and inject450,000 barrels of treated injection waterevery 24 hours. The 12 topsides modulesweigh 21,300 tonnes.

In addition, we have seen the success-ful completion of eight wells so far, withsome employing horizontal extended-reach open-hole gravel packs. Animportant feature of the project has beenthe amount of work being undertakenhere in Angola, major steps forward in

enhancing local capability.These projects mainly consist of 45

permanent guide bases built at Algoa inLuanda, the fabrication of six manifoldsincluding insulation, piles, subsea struc-tures, the offloading buoy and the risertower manufactured by Sonamet inLobito, where Angoflex is also manufac-turing the static injection umbilicals.

Were there any unanticipated eventsalong the way? How were these tackled,and what significant data did they pro-duce for the future?

Shafer-Malicki: One key learningcurve was the difficulty in starting amajor project construction at new sites,and the thing that strikes me is how muchplanning and quality assurance had to goin, so we had to adjust and make sure wegot enough resources to maintain thestandards we have for every site.

I put our success down to integratedteams and maintaining strong partner-ships with suppliers. A good example ishow we have managed to achieve a zeroskin factor [the measure of the quality ofa well-bore] for all our Block 18 produc-tion wells, against an average of 3 to 5 forthe wells on other blocks.

What are the major development mile-stones for the Plutonio project over thenext few years?

Shafer-Malicki: In total there will be43 wells drilled in the Greater Plutoniodevelopment area: 20 producers and 23gas and water injectors, so we have threemore years of drilling ahead. We expectvoidage replacement injection capacity tobe fully up and running in early 2008. Thedevelopment area plateau will be in 2010to 2012, and we also envision a tieback tothe FPSO of the Césio Field.

What are the lessons that have beenlearned from developing the Plutonioproject, and how are they being dissemi-nated within BP?

Shafer-Malicki: The main lesson isthat planning cannot be overlooked – andthis has to start well ahead of activity. Wesent teams across to Brazil months aheadof the rig coming to Greater Plutonio, todiscuss safety issues with the BP andTransocean teams. We also had a week-long co-ordination and safety sessionbetween our operations and projectsteams in preparation for the hook-up andcommissioning of the FPSO and subseasystems, so everyone was made clear oftheir role and accountabilities.

Our FPSO technicians started theirtraining five years ago, beginning with oneyear of English training at ESSA[Sonangol’s safety and technical trainingcentre], two years of accredited training atSapref refinery in South Africa or the BPchemical plant at Hull, UK, before the next24 months spent somewhere in BP: on aplatform in the North Sea, BP Shipping orin the Gulf of Mexico. Finally, the qualifiedtechnicians went to Korea to get hands-onexperience, so that they were gaining con-fidence of working with the FPSO well inadvance of it arriving on site.

How is BP developing its local contentcontribution?

Shafer-Malicki: In addition to theinvestment already mentioned inSonamet and Angoflex yards, we are alsoinvesting locally with other fabricationand manufacturing companies such asAlgoa [local partner for FMC], so that theyare able to make more permanent invest-

“The main lesson is that planning cannot be overlooked

– and this has to start well ahead of activity.”

Block 18 %BP Exploration Angola (operator) 50Sonangol Sinopec International 50

Block 31 %BP Exploration Angola (operator) 26.67Sonangol P&P 20Esso Exploration Angola 25Statoil ASA 13.33Marathon 10Total E&P Angola 5

Partners

KIANDA CELEBRATION: the centuries-old blessingof the waters to bring good catches


I N V E S T M E N T

hopes to start exploring this year. During avisit to Angola in early 2007, company presi-dent Sergei Vybornov said: “It’s a petroleumproject for oil exploration. It’s very promisingin terms of the quality of the deposits. We’llmake an initial investment of around $50 mil-lion for exploration. If we need to, we willinvest more. It’s hard to know exactly howmuch it will cost at this stage.”

Alrosa says the deal will involve explo-ration onshore in the areas of South Kwanza,North Kwanza, Etosha and Ojiba, and offshoreblocks 12 and 13 – while computer servicescompany Angola Consulting Resources (ACR)is gaining a foothold in domestic productionthrough taking non-operating stakes, forexample in Block 4.

When in late 2006 Sonangol awardedFrench-based engineering company Technip acontract worth $70 million for the Block 4Gimboa field development, its partners werenamed as Norway’s Norsk Hydro, ACR andSomoil (Sociedade Petrolefira Angolana).

Australia’s Roc Oil spent $34m on explo-ration onshore Angola in 2006, making it oneof the country’s leading juniors. Two prospectshave been identified for drilling this year –Massambala and Caju – and another threehave so far been high graded as possible can-didates for drilling during 2007.

Roc is hoping for oil production before toolong, which the company hopes will be “gamechanging” for its future. CityView, anotherAustralian explorer, is also dipping its toe intoAngolan waters and is working with Angolanjunior Nexoil for its proposed offshore oil con-cessions in the country’s Kwanza basin.

At the same time, Tullow Oil, one ofEurope’s largest oil independents, has longbeen active in Angola resulting in the compa-ny taking a 50 per cent operating interest inoffshore Block 1/06 – a 3,800sq km oil explo-ration concession in the Lower Congo Basin,offshore Angola. The block contains threeundeveloped oil fields, Pitangueira, Bananeiraand Sapesapeiro, which will be evaluated byan exploration-drilling programme in laterpart of 2007.

The company faced some disappointmentwith its 2005/6 exploration programme in off-shore Block 10, but is feels the country offersgreat opportunity to an entrepreneurial outfitsuch as Tullow. Its Chief executive AidanHeavey says: “Recent exploration wells onBlocks 10 demonstrate the high-risk nature of

exploration in the Southern Kwanza Basin.However, entry into these large blocks, whichare likely to yield further high impactprospects, is part of a long-term commitmentby Tullow to building a business in Angola”.

In 2006, Prodoil took a 20 per cent workinginterest in Block 1 offshore Angola operated byTullow. The company has also obtained con-cessions and prospecting licences to explorefor and develop minerals such as gold, zincand lead in the country.

A joint venture application has been filedby CityView, Quest Energy Middle East andlocal firms Energy Africa, a subsidiary of PetroAfrican Energy plc, and Nexoil to develop twoonshore oilfields in the Kwanza Basin.

Prodoil is an Angolan corporation run byAngolan nationals experienced in the oil andgas, mining and engineering sectors. The com-pany is working with Amec, the globalengineering group, and is also developinghotels within Luanda owned by a shareholder– a cross industry development that is typicalfor companies seeking a foothold in thepotentially lucrative oil and gas sector.

Another company testing the explorationenvironment in Angola is Africa-focused jun-ior Afren, based in the UK, which has agreedto buy Gulf Energy Resources’ 5 per cent stakein Angola’s inshore Cabinda Block B. At least32 exploration wells have been spudded inpast exploratory programmes, but the big findhas yet to be made.

The licence covers more than 112 hectaresand is operated by Devon Energy which ownsa 30 per cent stake in the exploration licence,together with Repsol YPF (25 per cent),Sonangol (20 per cent) and Petrogal (20 percent). The field lies close to the M’Boundionshore field in the Congo–Brazzaville, thelargest onshore field in the region.

As the supermajors and their partners uptheir game towards achieving the magic twomillion bpd target, their all-important juniorcolleagues will also play an increasingly signif-icant role in crossing this threshold, especiallyin developing the enigmatic onshore conces-sions which are now attracting attention. ❖

To help small and medium-sizedAngolan companies build theircapacity and get onto the ladder,CAE–Apoio Empresarial, a busi-ness centre sponsored bySonangol, has been established inLuanda offering local companiestraining in quality, bidding, andsecuring and managing contractsin the oil sector (see page 15).

HHaving joined the influential Organisationof Oil Producers and Exporters (Opec) in 2006,and taken a leading role in the Gulf of GuineaCommission (GGC), the regional co-operationbody, Angola is feeling more confident aboutits place as a hydrocarbons superpower and isattracting small, nimble oil companies as wellas the supermajors.

Sonangol chairman Manuel Vicente saysthat Angola is gaining substantial oil invest-ment in areas including environmentalprotection, infrastructure construction andmaintenance services.

“Opportunities for national suppliers andproviders of services exist and the concession-ary, Sonangol, will continue promoting theintegration of these initiatives within the oilindustry,” he says.

A typical small oil company with interestsin Angola is Falcon Oil with offices in Luandaand London. A private company, Falcon wasset up in 1997 with the aim of bringing newtechnology to Angola to search for and to produce oil.

In mid 2006, Brazil’s state-owned energycompany Petrobras was named as head of aconsortium to explore deep-water Block 18 offAngola, paying what was a record $1.1 billionsignature bonus.

Falcon took a 5 per cent stake in the con-sortium alongside Petrobras with a 30 per centoperating interest, China’s Sinopec (40 percent), Sonangol (20 per cent) and Gema Group(5 per cent).

International oil companies workingaround the world have identified Angola ashaving huge potential in the long term, and aredeveloping local operations in a slow, but sus-tainable way. Norway and Angola have enjoyedgood relations for many years, co-operating inmany sectors from humanitarian aid to usinginnovation oil and gas technologies.

Thus, the corporate merging of Norway’stwo largest oil groups Statoil and Norsk Hydroearlier this year will have a positive impact onexploration plans within Angola, which bothcompanies have earlier stated is a core area fortheir international development plans.

The precise effect of the merger will taketime to affect operations in Angola, but the twocompanies are already working together inTotal-operated Block 17 which contains thegiant Dalia and Girassol fields.

An intriguing new entrant into Angola isRussia’s diamond monopoly Alrosa, which

As the supermajors and their partners up their game,their all-important junior colleagues will also play anincreasingly significant role in crossing this threshold

smallisbeautifulAngola’s exploration and production boom is set

to continue as the oil majors are joined by a

growing band of local and international

companies defined by their entrepreneurial spirit

CU

RT

IS P

AR

KE

R


F I E L D S E R V I C E S

WestAfrica

Hub

WestAfrica

HubAs the principal supportfor its west and southernAfrican operations, VetcoGray’s Luanda base iscentrally located todeliver rapid response toits sub-Saharan clients

As the principal supportfor its west and southernAfrican operations, VetcoGray’s Luanda base iscentrally located todeliver rapid response toits sub-Saharan clients

VVetco Gray, a part of GE Oil & Gas, can fairly describeitself as an Old Africa Hand having been in business inAngola since the 1960s. But though the company hadset up a facility at Malongo to service its Cabinda GulfOil Company (Cabgoc) contracts, it did not finallyestablish itself in Luanda until 1998 – moving to itspresent location within the Sonils Oil Service Centre in2004.

Since that time, the company has focused attentionon broadening its client base throughout southernAfrica, offering local support and services to meet thedemands of its customers in this part of the continent.

“For Vetco Gray to be successful in Angola and otherremote areas of the region, it is vitally important thatwe are positioned to provide services and people trulyin support of our customers’ needs,” says RossMacLachlan, West Africa country manager.

Currently, the company supports its oil industrycustomers wherever they are operating, mainly in suchlocations as Côte d’ Ivoire, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon,Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Congo, the DRC, Namibia,South Africa, Mozambique and Kenya – and the displayin its Luanda headquarters showing its client locationshas more than a passing resemblance to an airlineroute map.

Vetco Gray Angola is a subsidiary of Vetco Gray UKLtd based in Aberdeen, which since February 23, 2007has been part of GE’s oil and gas business. The localstaff is made up of both expatriate and Angolan nation-als. Typically, the scope of work the firm takes on atSonils, Malongo and Lobito includes manifold fabrica-tion and assembly, capital drilling equipment repairand recertification, well jumper final fabrication andtesting, steel tube flying lead final fabrication and test-ing, SRT, SIT and repair of SSPE Christmas trees,storage, preservation and control system support.

The company is also a leading supplier of subseawellheads and tubulars for the exploration/appraisalmarket in Angola. Another important aspect of its oper-ations is the training and qualification of localemployees.

So far, the company has been responsible for theexecution and completion of EPC subsea productionsystem contracts, the supply of drilling products forboth subsea and platform applications for projectssuch as Chevron’s Kuito & Benguela-Belize-Lobito-Tombuco complex and Esso Angola’s Kizomba A and Bprojects. Vetco Gray was also the main contractor forthe $600 million Kizomba A EPIC surface wellhead plat-form for Kizomba A, commissioned in December 2003.

When the Kizomba B start-up operation com-menced in March 2005, Vetco Gray was again engagedto support all wellhead and surface trees, drilling andproduction risers and tensioner systems from theLuanda base.

PM

P G

LOB

AL

SUMMER 2007 27

and in times when industry professionals are becoming ever harder to come by thismeans a concerted programme to find andtrain local staff – and consequently Vetco Grayis committed to the development of itsAngolan capability.

Indeed, the Vetco Gray philosophy is toincrease the competencies of all employeeswhatever their speciality. It sees the key to suc-cess of its plans in Angola as the developmentof a skilled and competent local workforce thatcan grow the business, and has put in hand anumber of programmes to this end.

Primarily, the international serviceprovider is committed to the development ofits Angolan capability to provide completecountry-based support during the installationand life of field-based projects. It has recentlyappointed a training and development manag-er to put together competency-based trainingprogrammes and is working with the Angolangovernment to ensure that its efforts in thisrespect meet Angolanisation expectations.

As a result, there is a four/five year gradu-ate programme, primarily designed to developengineer competencies to chartered statuswith the Institute of Mechanical Engineerswhich comprises an accredited two-year mon-itored professional development scheme, witha further two/three years assigned to specificprojects and interspersed with an internation-

al secondment, QHSE training, research anddevelopment experience and an onshore oroffshore assignment. The programme nowcaters for four commercial graduates, two supply chain and two working in project management.

In addition, Vetco has a four-year graduatetraining programme to take engineers to char-tered status and an abridged craft apprenticeprogramme designed to meet the company’simmediate needs for which in April this yearVetco Gray selected ten Angolans from theInstitute of Petroleum for this scheme.

According to Mr MacLachlan, Vetco Gray’spresence in Angola has had a positive influ-ence and has grown rapidly over the last twoyears, with more than 112 nationals working inmanagement, supervisory, administrative, off-shore and workshopactivities.

“Our strategy is toexpand local con-tent,” he says. “VetcoGray has a world-wide reputation builtup over the years byemployees whobelieve in the com-pany and who arecommitted to workfor its future.” ❖


Since the opening of its Luanda facility,Vetco Gray has carried out specialist aftermar-ket services including repair, inspection,fabrication and refurbishment in support ofCabgoc Kuito, Esso’s Kizomba installations andother major operators, as well as for thedrilling contractors Ocean Rig and Transocean.

In May 2006, the company was awarded amajor systems contract for Esso Angola’sKizomba C project, to supply subsea systemsfor the Mondo and Saxi-Batuque fields (17 and19 wells respectively) in some 740m of water,under which the firm is responsible for theEPC of Mondo, consisting of 17 subsea trees,five manifolds, one integrated workover con-trol system (IWOCS), one FPSO hydraulicpower unit, one surface control system, 27subsea control systems and flowline connec-tions. The Saxi-Batuque requirement includes19 trees, one IWOCS, one FPSO hydraulicpower unit, one surface and 31 subsea controlmodules and manifolds.

“This award is a further demonstration ofVetco Gray’s reputation as a leader in subseaproduction systems,” said David Lamont, thenpresident of Vetco Gray Eastern Region andsubsea production systems. “We look forwardto delivering this world-class project on timeand on budget.”

Barely three years after taking up residenceat Sonils, the rapid expansion of Angola’s off-shore programmes has outgrown Vetco Gray’s13,500sq.m facility. To cope with its successand ongoing commitments the company hasembarked on a $4.2 million investment plan toincrease and upgrade the facility. Central tothe scheme is the extension of the existing900sq.m workshop by a further 600sq.m, aswell as 240sq.m additional inside storage and aclean room for critical storage and repairs –backed by the creation of 475sq.m of adminis-trative areas.

“This expansion will enable Vetco toundertake the assembly and testing of subseatrees and to broaden the basis of our servicesto the whole West African region,” says RossMacLachlan. “We want to offer even greatercommitment to Angola, and being in a posi-tion to take on this work will enable us tosubstantially increase our local workforce.”

The company recognises that the key tooffering a continuing high standard of serviceto customers is the quality of its workforce,

Good Taste!An important aspect of

Vetco’s training for its Angolanstaff is its programme of out-of-country courses. In December2006, for the second year a

group of seven apprentices fromLuanda joined 19 Scottish first-year apprentices at the AngusTraining Group in Arboath,Scotland.

The contrast between anorth-of-the-border winter andthe Angolan summer fromwhich the seven had travelledcould hardly have been greater.On arrival they were presentedwith suitable winter clothing inaddition to an English-Portuguese dictionary.

As extra insulation againstthe wind blowing from theNorth Sea, the Angolans werealso invited to taste the Scottishnational dish, haggis. “It gives awhole new meaning to the termlocal content,” quipped one ofthem ruefully.

“We look

forward to

delivering this

world-class

project on time

and on budget.”

David Lamont, Eastern Region and

subsea production systemspresident, Vetco Gray

PM

P G

LOB

AL

CA

RLO

S M

OC

O

INSI

DE

AN

GO

LA

TThe concept of the seasons, ofsummer followed by winter, is in turna pleasing or a harsh fact of life forthose who live in non-equatorialregions.

In Angola there is little discern-able change from one month toanother: the sun rises and sets atalmost the same hour, the rains comeand the crops grow – and almost allyear round the activities of sunnydays are constant diversions tobeguile.

But ill fortune still lingers totouch many lives as a result of recenthistory, though never far beneath thesurface, especially in the young, is aneye for beauty and an unquenchablehope for the future.

SUMMER 2007 31

R E G I O N A L F O C U S

FEdenEden

PM

P G

LO

BA

L

For a region ofsuch distractingbeauty andeasygoing lifestyle,now it is rebuildingits future Uíge hasseen more than itsfair share ofdisruptiveinfluences

troubledtroubled

For most of its way, the old colonial road fromLuanda to Uíge twists and dives tortuouslythrough rainforest valley and open country – butin many places it now opens out to wide new met-alled surfaces constructed by the unceasingefforts of Chinese labour gangs.

Negotiating one of the tricky hairpin bends onthe mountain road, we come upon a bus saved bya tree from a precipitous descent into the denseforest undergrowth. Fortunately the passengerswere all rescued and have gone on their way byother means. But the driver, Afonso, had to staywith the vehicle and is camped by the roadside.

“I’ve been here for 40 days now,” he saysalmost unbelievably. “My partner went back toLuanda for help, but there is no sign of him yet.”As is the custom, we leave him with some foodand water.

These contrasts typify the fate of this northernprovince in recent decades. The panoramas ofrolling trees and grassland – a sea of green in therainy season – belie the fact that Uíge suffered ter-ribly in the recent civil war, and more recently wasthe epicentre of the deadly Marburg virus out-break which still appears intermittently, though itis now under control.

And yet in the years leading to Independence,when Angola was exporting 400,000 tonnes ofRobusta coffee annually, Uíge was the heartlandof its production, providing the ideal soil and cli-mate for this sought-after variety.

Named Carmona by the Portuguese, the city ofUíge grew from a small market place in 1945 tobecome Angola’s major coffee centre in the 1950s.However, its prosperity was short-lived because ofthe fighting between the FLNA and the Portugueseforces in the run-up to Independence.

For most of its way, the old colonial road fromLuanda to Uíge twists and dives tortuouslythrough rainforest valley and open country – butin many places it now opens out to wide new met-alled surfaces constructed by the unceasingefforts of Chinese labour gangs.

Negotiating one of the tricky hairpin bends onthe mountain road, we come upon a bus saved bya tree from a precipitous descent into the denseforest undergrowth. Fortunately the passengerswere all rescued and have gone on their way byother means. But the driver, Afonso, had to staywith the vehicle and is camped by the roadside.

“I’ve been here for 40 days now,” he saysalmost unbelievably. “My partner went back toLuanda for help, but there is no sign of him yet.”As is the custom, we leave him with some foodand water.

These contrasts typify the fate of this northernprovince in recent decades. The panoramas ofrolling trees and grassland – a sea of green in therainy season – belie the fact that Uíge suffered ter-ribly in the recent civil war, and more recently wasthe epicentre of the deadly Marburg virus out-break which still appears intermittently, though itis now under control.

And yet in the years leading to Independence,when Angola was exporting 400,000 tonnes ofRobusta coffee annually, Uíge was the heartlandof its production, providing the ideal soil and cli-mate for this sought-after variety.

Named Carmona by the Portuguese, the city ofUíge grew from a small market place in 1945 tobecome Angola’s major coffee centre in the 1950s.However, its prosperity was short-lived because ofthe fighting between the FLNA and the Portugueseforces in the run-up to Independence.

SUMMER 2007 33

hectares and a population of around 1.3million, Uíge’s primary agricultural prod-ucts include coffee, beans, cassava, grain,peanuts, cotton and wood. The province isalso comparatively rich in minerals, awealth that it shares with DRC’s southernShaba province – including silver, copperand cobalt though these have been littledeveloped on the Angolan side of the bor-der.

One resource that is being exploited istropical hardwood such as mahogany andiroko, which is exported through the port ofLuanda after a bone-shaking 250km drive tothe south. This is an industry which thelocal authority is actively seeking to fundwith incentives offered as part of centralgovernment’s code for foreign investment.

Passing through villages such as Purisome 70km east of the capital, the single-storey houses surrounding the pretty villagesquare bask in Sunday sunshine. A shortavenue leads to one of the smallest church-es in Angola – little bigger than a normalliving room.

“It looks old, but in fact it was built by

the Portuguese in 1926,” says Senhor Viera, themunicipal administrator. “The whole commu-nity was a strategic point under Unita controlfor much of the time, and our main churchwas destroyed.”

So the tiny chapel, its font incongruouslydecorated with seashells, was very much thecentre of activity in this very religious region,which is also a centre of the Toko sect – a spin-off from the catholic religion which uniquelyhas blended with local African beliefs. OnSundays, Toko families can easily be spottedwalking their way to church, dressed fromhead to toe in smart white outfits that woulddo credit to a Paris catwalk.

With people beginning to filter back tothese country areas, organised agriculture isonly slowly starting to return, and withoutmuch to do everyone turns to what they cancontribute – or more importantly, teach.

So we are not surprised to find António,with his superbly fit body, taking a group offriends through a vigorous judo session in aderelict building. “This is good for me in twoways,” he says with a ready smile. “Firstly itkeeps me in trim and at the same time I canshare a useful skill with my friends.”

Indeed, the province was one of the hard-est-hit parts of Angola, with large sections of

the population displaced and its infra-structure trashed. The scars are still apparentin the quantities of wrecked artillery andtanks littering the landscape. As one of

Angola’s northern provinces, Uíge providedan easy route for the guerrilla bands of theFLNA, and latterly Unita from the nearby

haven of the Democratic Republic ofCongo (DRC).

However, as time goes by, the tranquillityof the country areas away from the majorhabitations seems quietly to envelope thesigns of conflict, just as the tropical jungleslowly smothers all other aspects of civilisa-tion.

In fact, before Africa was parcelled outamong the European powers in 1884,Uíge was part of the Kongo kingdomwhich encompassed not only northernAngola, but what is now Congo-Brazzaville and the DRC, andcross-border influences are often appar-

ent in the features and culture ofpopulations living close to the border.

With an area of just under 6,000

Dark Secret

Nowhere in Uíge is far fromits recent past. This apparentlyharmless looking Russian tank,still standing by the roadsidewhere it was ambushed and dis-abled more than ten years ago,is the sort of artefact that in adifferent setting would provideendless fun as a giant climbingframe for children to explore.

But on closer inspection itsinterior reveals live rounds ofammunition still in place withinthe turret – probably consideredtoo dangerous to remove, evenby the looters who stripped it ofalmost everything else.


With an area of

just under 6,000

hectares and a

population of

around 1.3 million,

Uíge’s primary

agricultural

products include

coffee, beans,

cassava, grain,

peanuts cotton

and wood

SE

RG

IO A

FO

NS

O


Nevertheless, moves are afoot to rehabili-tate the local agricultural sector. Recently, theco-operative of Casseche in another part of theprovince received $36,000 to develop itsresources. Another community, CungaQuixiba, was handed $39,000 and a third,Condo Benze, got $27,000 from the Africa 2007micro-credit programme.

Formerly, this part of Uíge was a significantrice-growing area centred on the town ofSanza Ponbo, where a ruined rice mill standson the outskirts.

“The main problem with restarting theindustry is the bad quality of the roads aroundhere,” explains administrator Baptista Pinde.“Until money is spent to restore them, it will

be impossible for us to export what we pro-duce.”

Within the town limits, the wide two-lanemain street gives a clue to its former impor-tance as the hub of a prosperous agriculturalarea. But not very far beyond the city limits,the road leading out is so seriously eroded thatonly the most robust 4x4 can negotiate it.

“Before the conflict, as well as crops likerice and cashews, there were herds of cattle asfar as the eye could see, and we had a thrivingdairy industry,” Mr Pinde recalls. “It is also saidthat the sweetest pineapples grew here, as wellas staples like bananas, avocado and papaya.”

However, not far from the town, as wecross a sweeping chana (a wide saucer-likevalley between low hills) we come upon anewly-arrived North Korean co-operative teamin the initial stages of establishing a viable rice

“The land and climate here offers so

much opportunity. We will start by

producing enough to feed the

surrounding communities, and by that

time hopefully the roads will have

improved enough to look for markets

further afield.”

Dr Eon-Jung Lee, Rice Team leader

Cutting itA former coffee plantation just

outside Songo has taken on a newlife as the centre for a differentkind of harvest: tropical hard-woods, mainly mahogany and irokofrom the nearby rainforest.

Established just over a year agoby Jorge Gonçalves and his friendPedro Mendonça, it has nowbecome a thriving business thatemploys a permanent staff of 15 –rising to 40 when times are busy.

The hard work is locating asuitable tree and then dragging itfrom the forest to turn into planksat the mill. “This adds value to ourwork,” says Mr Gonçalves whowas born in Angola. “But some-times we have to ship thecomplete trunk to Luanda forexport.”

The quality of the local woodis especially good but “it onlytakes me five minutes to cut downa tree”, proudly proclaims Antóniowho is responsible for operatingone of the rapier-long chain saws.

This hard-working team deliv-ers, on average, 100 cubic metresof wood every day by truck to theLuanda dockside.

This is the only proper industryin Songo, but to show what canbe achieved with a modicum ofenterprise, the money earned hasalready made an impact on thelocal community, which has in turnled to the opening of small shopsand a café.

PM

P G

LOB

AL

growing operation. Team leader Dr Eon-JungLee explains that they have only just arrivedand are setting up the operation which isfunded from Pyongyang.

“The land and climate here offers so muchopportunity,” he says. “We will start by produc-ing enough to feed the surroundingcommunities, and by that time hopefully theroads will have improved enough to look formarkets further afield.”

Meantime, the small stream that runsthrough this breathtaking, wide-horizonedlandscape makes a perfect bathing pool for adozen youngsters whose thoughts are about asfar as they could be from growing crops whilethey splash and dive in the cool water.

The brilliant sunshine flooding this bucolicscene blots from the memory the scourge thatswept the area just a few years ago, attractingworldwide attention to Angola.

The Marburg haemorrhagic fever whichravaged the province is a deadly diseasecaused by a virus from the Ebola family.

Scientists do not know where it comes from. Itcan infect monkeys, but they are not consid-ered the natural hosts.

The virus spreads through contact withbodily fluids and incubates for between threeand nine days. Currently, there is no vaccine ortreatment. Death usually occurs within ninedays of the appearance of symptoms: fever,vomiting, diarrhoea and blood loss.

But now, all this is largely in the past, andthere are encouraging green shoots indicatingthat perhaps the tide is turning for a regionthat has been tossed by so many turbulentcurrents in its recent past.

As the birthplace of Angola’s ruling party,the MPLA, one clue could be the colourfulbanner that stretches across the municipalheadquarters in Puri, which proclaims:Regista-te Aqui – Register to vote. Soonerrather than later it is expected that there willbe national elections in Angola. Candidatesand parties need votes, and voters demandbenefits!

It is an invitation that brings hope, howeverslight, that the people have power and thatthere is a possibility for things to get better – foropportunities as yet unperceived to appear. ❖

POSTCARDS FROM UIGE (clockwise from bottom left): Young citizens of Uige city;Election preparations, Puri; abandoned rice factory,Sanza Ponbo; Municipal Headquarters, Uige City.

SUMMER 2007 37

T O U R I S M


“You could go tothe beaches ofMussulo or CaboLedo, which arebeautiful and stillfavourites, butnow there seemsto be much moreopportunity totravel furtherafield.”

Louisa Norman,NGO worker

t

PARADISES:

(clockwise from bottom left):Rio Longo, Kissama NationalPark, Rio Longo, HuamboProvince

here is no doubt that Angola has beenblessed with all the ingredients to be anattractive tourist destination. It boasts1,600km of beautiful coastline, dramaticdesert plains and lush green tropical land-scapes, as well as a fascinating history andculture. With its tropical forests rich inrivers, waterfalls and exotic flora and fauna,and its vibrant towns and picturesque ruralvillages, Angola is simply bursting withpotential.

“When I first arrived here, there was alimited range of free-time activities,” saysNGO worker Louisa Norman, relaxed andrefreshed after a weekend trip to the lus-cious province of Kwanza Sul. “You could goto the beaches of Mussulo or Cabo Ledo,which are beautiful and still favourites, butnow there seems to be much more opportu-nity to travel further afield.”

Paul Wesson, an animated, enthusiasticEnglishman, moved to Angola more thantwo decades ago, fell in love with the coun-try and has never looked back. A bornadventurer – Angola’s answer to therenowned travel correspondent MichaelPalin – he co-founded the travel companyEcoTur in 2003, with its enticing sloganDescobre Angola connosco (Discover Angolawith us).

“Angola appeals to pioneers in thetourism industry,” he says. “It is so huge,there are so many contrasting sights and itis very difficult for such a sparse population(around 13 million) to damage the ecologi-cal side.”

EcoTur’s tours have burgeoned, and astwo or three-day trips for expatriates con-tinue to rise in popularity, longer tours forAngola residents and visitors are beginningto grow too.

British couple Colin and June Iley spent12 days in Angola visiting their daughterand son-in-law in Luanda, but also travelledon short trips out of the capital. “What isfascinating about Angola is that you have somany extremes. My wife and I have nevervisited Africa before, so everything wasinteresting to us. Even the poverty and thehardships.

“Yet on the other hand, you have somebeaches and countryside that can only bedescribed as paradise,” says Mrs Iley, whotravelled with her husband to the island

resort of Mussulo and the stunning palm-tree beach of Barra de Dande, an hour’sdrive north of Luanda.

Yet flick through any holiday brochureon African travel and Angola is still verymuch conspicuous by its absence becauseonly a few establishments are up to the highstandards that tourists have come to expect.

“It is well known that hotels outsideLuanda do not respond efficiently and qual-ity-wise to the demands we face today,” saysElisabete Freire, the owner of CharmeTours, which has been offering airline, hoteland car booking services as well as toursaround the region to corporate and privateclients since 1994.

But there are exceptions, such as thePalacio Regina Hotel, a stylish four-starstandard establishment that opened itsdoors a year ago in Malange city, and thetree-star Luachimo Hotel in Saurimo, whichis to be refurbished at a cost of $10 million.

Apart from the lack of hotels, whichboast a 97 per cent occupancy rate, restau-rants are frequently packed, particularly atweekends. It can often also be difficult toget a flight, although things are improvingas airlines increase schedules.

ANIP (Agencia Nacional para oInvestmento Privado) estimates that in 2007the country will welcome around 1.2 mil-lion tourists. It predicts that those boldenough to invest now, while the tourismindustry is still in its fledgling stage, willreap rewards in the future.

Yet Ms Freire says there are still difficul-ties to be resolved “At this point in time,getting a tourism visa to enter Angola is ahuge problem. On a daily basis we receiveemails from foreigners requesting a letter ofinvitation which makes us responsible fortheir stay and safe return home,” sheexplains. “But how can I invite people Idon’t know?”

It will certainly be some time beforeAngola appears alongside Zambia andBotswana in the travel journals. But if thepublic and private sectors pull together torebuild the infrastructure and develop thenatural hospitable nature of the country’speople, without damaging Angola’s exoticbeauty, then in years to come it could beone of Africa’s hot new destinations. ❖

CA

RLO

S M

OC

O

aradise in waiting


With a newinternationalairport andworld-classhotels underconstruction,Angola’s tourismminister sees atime when thecountry can beless dependenton oil

Bright futurefor tourism

Eduardo Chingunji, Minister of Tourism

EEduardo Chingunji is bubbling with

enthusiasm about a sector he hopes couldone day compete with oil and diamonds interms of its economic importance. Pointingfrom the window of his spacious sixth-flooroffice towards the Ilha peninsula, MrChingunji, Angola’s Minister of Tourism,explains why his country is so special.

“I love Angola because it is so diverse.But people won’t come here just becausethey want the sun. We have so much moreto offer, so many beautiful things,” he says.“You have to put all these things togetherand create some kind of vision for now andthe future which will attract people tocome and visit.”

There is no doubt that Angola has beenblessed with all the ingredients it needs tobe an attractive tourist destination, andwith the years of conflict behind it,Angola’s future looks bright, with thetourism sector braced for continuedgrowth as the country seeks to diversify itseconomy and create the basis for its sus-tainable development.

But Mr Chingunji points out that it willbe a while before Angola is able to draw inthe significant numbers of regular holiday-makers it deserves. “At the moment, whenwe talk about tourists in Angola, they aremostly business visitors. We’re not yet atthe point where we can really talk of tradi-tional tourists,” he says. “Angola does nothave holiday resorts like the ones you nor-mally see in this part of the world, such asin South Africa and Namibia.”

Mr Chingunji takes a first-things-firstapproach to the rebuilding of the sectorfive years after the end of the civil war.Peacetime has gone some way to address-ing the legacies of the conflict, but serioushurdles remain.

He has been tourism minister sinceDecember 2004 and cites electricity, roadsand drinking water as key areas needingattention. “The first thing that we have as apriority is to repair and rebuild the infra-structure so that we can startaccommodating traditional tourists,” hesays.

“The health sector is really importanttoo. No one would go to a place where theyare likely to get seriously ill or could risklosing their life. Until we reach such apoint, we are talking mostly of people who

JOSE

SIL

VA

PIN

TO

SUMMER 2007 41

secret haven among surfers who are tired ofjoining the queues for the waves of Cape Townor Hawaii.

For all the blueprints, plans and ideas, MrChingunji knows that a budding tourismindustry will require trained personnel and asolid base of services. In the last few months,short-term hotel and tourism courses havebeen held across the country.

There are other hurdles too, with one of themost common complaints from foreignerswanting to travel to Angola being the cumber-some red tape involved in applying for a visa,with real tourist visas not yet available.

The minister is well aware of these issuesand says the government is trying to make iteasier for bona fide holidaymakers to enterAngola.

“Some people say, ‘We are tourists, howcome we need to have a letter of invitationfrom Angola?’ We say, right now it’s importantwe know who is coming in and out because weare trying to get our act together and get backinto normal society after the war,” he explains.“Obviously this will have to change. Eventuallypeople will be able to come to Angola on a30–day visa as a tourist.”

Alongside the government’s efforts to ironout these difficulties, it is also focused on mak-ing sure the country will be ready to host theprestigious African Cup of Nations footballtournament in 2010. The race is on to ensurethere is plenty of room for the athletes, specta-tors and others who will be coming fromacross the continent and the world.

As well as the hotels being constructed in

time for the event, Angola’s massive new inter-national airport should be ready with moreflights scheduled to be introduced from othercorners of the globe, and a new fleet of aircraftis already serving the national airline.

For Mr Chingunji, having a clear vision ofthe sector’s future is as important as buildingthe blocks of the industry one by one.

“Our ambition is to exploit the manyattractions this country has to offer, so that wedon’t have to be dependent on oil and dia-monds,” he says. “We are building up ourindustry, slowly but surely. In three to fouryears, Angola should be considered not only atourist destination but a superpower in ourregion.” ❖


are coming to Angola to look at investmentopportunities.”

But even the challenges presented by thesurge in business tourism are difficult to keepup with. There is a serious lack of hotel roomsin the capital and an estimated 3,500 more areneeded just to meet current demand. Evensmaller guest houses are booked up formonths in advance.

“We don’t have a peak or off–peak season,so the occupancy rate in most hotels averages

at 97 per cent throughout the year,” says MrChingunji. “There is so much demand inLuanda. People want to come, but a lot ofthem don’t because they simply can’t get aroom to stay.”

A raft of ambitious projects should seemore hotels make it onto the Luanda skylineover the next few years. These include a 36-floor hotel on the Marginal and several chainsoffering a range of accommodation from themore modest to lavish five-star hotels andapartment hotels for longer-term visitors.

But plans do not stop at building rooms,nor do they stop at the borders of the capital.

Mr Chingunji is visibly excited as hedescribes several projects that will cater forbusiness visitors and holidaymakers alike.They include a giant trans-border park takingin Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabweas well as Angola. There will also be severalnew casinos, holiday resorts, bars and restau-rants as well as fishing and safari lodges acrossthe territory.

“Most tourists only know Luanda,” lamentsMr Chingunji, who spends a lot of his timetravelling between the country’s 18 provinces.“Once we have the necessary infrastructure setup around the country, people will find it a loteasier to visit other places and I’m convincedthey will start to recognise our country as areal tourist destination.”

Indeed, the interest has already begun.Four-wheel drive tourism is popular amongmore adventurous holidaymakers. Angola andits plentiful waters have been luring fishingenthusiasts for years – and the country is a

Island in the Sun

“It’s like another world outhere, but so close to the citywhere I work.” That is howNGO executive Ingo Gertnerdescribes the idyllic Zanga Resorton the island of Mussulo, about20kms south of Luanda.

As one of the more exclusivehideaways on the island, Zangais an imaginative example of thekind of vacation developmentfor which the bays and lagoonsalong Angola’s Atlantic coast arewell suited.

It is about an hour from theinternational airport – includinga 20-minute boat ride, skimmingover the tranquil waters fromthe mainland. Roomy, well-builtchalets set in the shade of palmtrees and acacias can accommo-date family parties, groups orcouples seeking seclusion fromthe stresses of urban life.

A white sand beach, withthe high-rise blocks of Luanda inthe distance, offers the opportu-nity to indulge in windsurfing,fishing, scuba diving and otherwater sports or just the chanceto relax.

“We are happy to welcomefamilies and friends to enjoythese facilities,” says the manag-er, Frederico,“but we are alsoequipped to cater for businessconferences, weddings andother social occasions.”

CAPITAL:

Luanda offers its ownunique welcome

PHO

TOS:

JO

SE S

ILV

A P

INTO

PMPG

LOB

AL


Child’sEye View

IIn the era of digital photography it is easy to forget that howev-

er sophisticated the technology, it is the human sense of wonderand curiosity that creates an arresting image.

The camera obscura perfected by the Chinese in the 11th cen-tury was the first mechanical means of reproducing a picture of anactual scene. It works on the principle of light passing through atiny hole, which acts as a lens, to form an image on a surfacebehind it.

Pictures taken by children from the Kandengues UnidosOrphanage and Mulemba Centre in Luanda demonstrated justhow potent this simple technique still is in an age when takingphotographs has been reduced to a foolproof, almost automatic,process.

In the project sponsored by Total E&P Angola, 20 children wereeach given an old tin can with a pinhole in one side and a sheet ofphotographic paper placed on the inside, and were invited to takepictures of everyday life as they saw it in and around the capital.

What they captured with their “magic tins” was presented in aspecial exhibition, Mulekunidos, at the Elinga Theatre, Luanda, inMay 2006, and was so successful that a second project waslaunched later in the year, with the results shown at the CelemarGallery on the Ilha.

The striking and sometimes disturbing images strip away allthe gloss and attitude that is inevitably imparted by older andmore experienced photographers using top-line equipment.

These pictures taken by the children wandering in the street,on the seashore and at play reduce the bewildering sights andexperiences of the larger world around them to clean-cut impres-sions that only the fresh and innocent eye of a child can see:sometimes humorous, sometimes affectionate, sometimes afraid –but always sublime.

After developing the photos, the kids will be different: out ofthis experience they will begin to achieve the feeling of being partof a family and gain a true sense of the community around them.

P H O T O G R A P H Y

GOOD IMAGE:

Artist Samual Killungila holdsone of the “magic tins” at theCelemar Gallery, Luanda

What they captured with their

“magic tins” was presented in

a special exhibition,

Mulekunidos, at the Elinga

Theatre, Luanda, in May 2006

The striking, and sometimes

disturbing images strip away

all the gloss and attitude

that is inevitably imparted

by older and more

experienced photographers

using top-line equipment

SUMMER 2007 47

S P O R T

Fly likeabird

Since Icarus, ithas been man’sdream to takewings, andskimming overthe Atlantic surfof the Ilha agrowing numberof youngLuandansexperience justthat

MMost afternoons, Rogerio Bandeira takes a momentto stand at the window of his office and focus hisattention on the palm trees on the street below. Ifthey are still, he gets back to his day’s work, but ifthey are swaying, he knows there is probablyenough wind to go kitesurfing.

That assessment is bitter sweet, as he still has toput in a few more hours at the office before he canpick up his kite and surfboard and head off to thebeach to join his friends for an exhilarating ride.

“Sometimes I want the wind so badly that I’mpractically seeing a mirage,” says the 31-year-old,laughing as he sits back into the sand, his harnessstill around his waist and his kite flapping in thebreeze. “I skip my lunch break at work so that I canget down here earlier and kitesurf in the after-noons.”

It is a mid-week afternoon and Rogerio and fiveother kitesurfers are gathered on one of the beachesat the entrance to Luanda’s Ilha peninsula. Groupsof children sit around and gaze into the sky, admir-ing the bright colours of the kites as they swoop inthe wind up above. They “oooh” and “ahhh” as thesurfers practise their perilous tricks which includejumps, twists and turns through the air.

One of the children, the waist-high Adilson, whohas become a kind of mascot to the kitesurfers,sometimes hitches a piggyback ride through thewaves with one of the more experienced kiters. “Ilove it,” he exclaims breathlessly, having just made itback onto the beach after an exciting trip with onededicated kitesurfer, Lukeny. “I can’t wait to getolder so that I can try it out for myself,” he addswith a cheeky grin.

PHO

TOS:

JO

SE S

ILV

A P

INTO

SUMMER 2007 49

who taught another and the sport quicklycaught on.

However, there are no hire shops or formalkiting schools in Angola, and buying new oreven used equipment locally is almost impos-sible. With the cost of the kit – a kite, harnessand board – reaching at least $2,000, there arelimits as to how many Angolans are likely toafford the sport. But Ruca and some of theother more experienced kiters such as DarcyOrnelas Vieira Lopes, who is also in the cus-toms clearance business, are setting up anassociation which they hope will help thesport to become more accessible.

“We want to create better conditions forkitesurfing in Angola and help it to developand gain more popularity,” says Darcy as hepumps up his bright red kite in preparation fora surfboard ride.

“Kitesurfing has everything to do withAngolans – it involves the sun, the sea and thebeach. And we’re privileged to have all this soclose to where we live and work.”

Darcy’s passion for kiting is so great that hegave a miniature kite to each of his friends tocommemorate the birth of his son. They haveeven named one of their favourite stretches onMussulo Island, Kitesurf Beach. With suchenthusiasm, it is hard to see how kiting willnot, literally, take off in Angola. But Darcypoints out that the wind conditions in Luandaare not ideal.

“Before I started kitesurfing, I thoughtAngola was very windy,” he says. “But we’reactually not that wealthy here in terms ofwind. It is usually around 10 to 14 knots, and itcan sometimes, but rarely, rise to 20 to 24knots.”

But with adequate winds, and in a countrythat can boast having summer nearly all yearround, Luanda as a kiting destination is luringsome Angolans living abroad to come backhome. Ricardo Soares, 31, having left Angolawhen he was 18 to live in Portugal, is nowplanning to return at the end of the year.

“This is nothing in comparison to placessuch as Tarifa in Spain where you can seemore than 200 kites in the air, but it’s definite-ly growing in popularity here.

“I’ve been on holiday in Angola for the pastfew weeks now and I’m loving it. I come downto the beach every day to kite. That’s notsomething I can do in Portugal. It’s going to begreat to come back for good,” he says.

However, even kitesurfing aficionados

admit that the sport does have the odd drawback.

“I’ve had lots of arguments with my girl-friends because of kitesurfing,” says Ricardo.“On the weekends when there’s just the tiniestbit of wind, I want to go and kite. They alwaysthink I am cheating on them when I’m actuallykitesurfing.”

For many Angolans, watching from thebeach is as close as they get to trying thesport. But others, such as 37-year-old PombalDiogo Sebastiao, have found ways of gettinginvolved.

He helps Luanda’s brigade of surfers topump up their kites, release them into thewind, catch them when they come off thewaves and pack them away at the end of theday. For Pombal, who Luanda’s kitesurfersconsider to be part of their crew, this a job anda pleasure rolled into one.

“I come down here every day. My work is tohelp the kite-sailors. I’ve been helping themfor three years. I consider them to be my fami-ly and they help me out with a bit of money,”he says, rolling up a kite as the sun sets overthe ocean.

But Pombal hopes that he will also get thechance to try out a sport that has captivatedthe hearts and minds of those he helps.

“I would like to try it out one day, forsomeone to buy a kite for me. But in themeantime, I like watching them, being withthem and helping them,” he says. ❖


Like most of this band of Angolankitesurfers, Rogerio – who has been kitesurfingfor about two years – became hooked from thestart.

“From the first time I put a kite in the air, Ididn’t want to let go. It’s like a drug,” he says,beaming. “Before kitesurfing, I had never trieda sport that had to do with the sea. I hadalways liked basketball and football. But now Idon’t want to do anything else”.

Kitesurfing, also known as flysurfing orkiteboarding, is not for the faint-hearted.Considered an extreme sport, and involving apower kite to pull the rider through the wateron a small surfboard, it is physically challeng-ing and can be dangerous.

It first arrived on the shores of Angola inaround 2000 and is growing in popularityamong both locals and expatriates. Ask any ofAngola’s kitesurf enthusiasts who first broughtthe sport here and all will refer to Ruca, theAngolan expert.

Getting an interview with Ruca (aka RaulHamilton) is not easy. He is a busy man, eitherhard at work drumming up business for hiscustoms clearance company in the port, or kit-ing in his every spare moment.

“I started off with a tiny kite. I was the onlyperson doing it here in Luanda, which ismaybe why it took me so long to learn.Normally you have a teacher who can correctyou if you make a mistake,” he says, drinkingan ice-cold beer to quench his thirst at theIlha’s Jango Veleiro beach bar.

However, having already done a lot ofwaterskiing, wakeboarding and snowboarding,Ruca quickly picked up the basics of kitesurf-ing without formal lessons. With greatfondness he recalls the first time he managedto get up onto his surfboard and go for a ridethrough the ocean.

“It was an amazing sensation. When youmanage to dominate the kite and then create asymbiotic relationship between the air and thewater, it’s impossible to forget. It’s a feeling youwill remember all your life,” he says.

“At the beginning, we were all curious andeager to learn. I used to get information fromthe Internet and download videos and com-mentaries that explained what you’resupposed do. But, of course, there is noreplacement for lots of practice.”

Ruca, whose daring tricks and confidencein the water today prove he deserves his title of“expert”, taught one of his friends how to kite,

“There are few

places where you

would find such an

unusual and varied

menu, and the

view is almost

worth paying for

in itself.”

Foreign businessman, Cais de Quatro restaurant

PHO

TOS: JO

SE SILVA

PINTO


nity. Its intimate bar, where clients can enjoytheir aperitif and a selection of salty snacks, isthe perfect beginning to a top-quality meal.

Meanwhile, the outdoor Fortaleza, in theshadow of Luanda’s iconic fortress overlookingthe harbour, is famous for its steak and chips,with clients travelling from miles around toenjoy succulent the beef fillet in a creamy pepper sauce.

For yet another type of open-air diningexperience, the established haunts ofCoconuts and the Caribe situated on thebeaches of the Ilha peninsula, continue todraw customers. Particularly popular duringthe summer months when the sea breeze actsas a natural air conditioner, they focus on fishand seafood, freshly caught just a few feetaway in the Atlantic Ocean.

Coconuts’ Espetada de Peixe e Marisco,(fish and seafood kebab) often prompts gaspsof delight when served at the table on a tower-ing vertical spit. Down at the Caribe, with itsyellow parasols and occasional live music, thegarlic prawn starter is hard to beat.

For a more homely atmosphere, EsplanadaPalhota across the road serves delicious tradi-tional Portuguese and Angolan dishes and isclaimed by its owner to be the only place inthe country serving suckling pig.

With its eager-to-please staff dressed ingreen and white uniforms, and its fans coolingcustomers under a straw roof, it is packed tothe brim on weekends and at mostlunchtimes.

“If you arrive late, we are often full,” saysJose dos Santos Monteiro, who opened therestaurant in 2001 and has seen business rock-et. “We are near the beach and much moreaccessible than some of the other bars andrestaurants on the smarter side of the Ilha thatcharge twice as much as we do.”

As eating out increases in popularity, agrowing number of restaurants are now serv-ing foreign and fusion foods.

Still on the Ilha, the São Jorge and theJango Veleira are both popular thanks to theirBrazilian-style cuisine. Culturally close toBrazil in a host of ways, Angolans adore thetraditional Picanha dish – a slow-cooked beefsteak served with fried banana, black beans,greens and a crunchy topping.

In fact, Luanda offers no shortage of worldfood, with India, Vietnam and China in partic-ular also making their mark on the capital’sgastro scene.

Chez Wou on the threshold of the Ilha,

with its dramatic oriental pagoda-styleentrance, has been luring fans of Asian cuisinefor years, but competition is heating up. TheAbdeson, which opened its doors in late 2005,is more modern and spacious, and also offersthe usual favourites of Peking duck and sweetand sour prawns.

“I love Chinese food and Chez Wou wasalways one of my top choices for a good mealout. But it is fantastic to have other choices,”says one foreign businessman who has seen arapid expansion of the restaurant market inhis decade-long stint in Luanda.

He also cites Cais de Quatro, with itspanoramic views of the Luanda skyline, as afirm favourite. Drink in hand, he notes theclean lines of the decking and glass-toppedtables, as well as the crisp white table linenwhich fits well with the establishments’trademark sails flapping at the entrance.

“The food here is more fusion thanfrom any one country. It serves a greatThai prawn curry and a delicious beefdish with a chocolate sauce,” he says.

“There are few places where youwould find such an unusual and variedmenu, and the view is almost worth pay-ing for in itself,” he says, pointing to thetwinkling lights of the capital across theharbour.

The rapid growth in the restaurantindustry is creating jobs and new skillsand demonstrates Angola’s ability torespond to changing demands. A shin-ing example of the country’s post-warrecovery, it is also mouth-watering newsfor the discerning palate. ❖

L I F E S T Y L E

Hardly a weekgoes bywithout a newrestaurantopening itsdoors inLuanda, addingto the alreadyeclectic choiceof eatingplaces availableto the capital’sdiscerningpalate

TThe busy lunchtime rush has just come toan end at Pinto’s in downtown Luanda and themanager, Guilhermina Gonçalvez, can finallybreathe a sigh of relief and take a seat.

Pintos is widely regarded as one of thecity’s finest restaurants, with a décor, menuand service that would rate as first class inParis, Milan or New York.

“We are among the three best restaurantsin Luanda,” says Ms Gonçalvez. “We know ourservice is good and we provide a relaxing envi-ronment for our customers. People like thecosmopolitan feel here. They tell me therestaurant would not be out of place in anypart of the world, so we know we are doing agood job.”

Pinto’s location, in the capital’s financialdistrict, makes it handy for business lunches,particularly when trying to impress a client.

The ground-floor bar and first-floor diningroom have the air of aplush gentleman’s club,with mahogany wood pan-elling, comfortablearmchairs and characteris-tic Portuguese tiling. Theclever layout gives eachtable a feeling of privacy.

“I would estimate thataround 90 per cent of ourclientele comes from thebusiness community,especially from the oil sec-tor,” Ms Gonçalvez says.“As well as Angolans, wehave customers from the

United States, Britain and China, and othercountries. Many people come here for meet-ings, and when they are inviting someoneimportant, they want to be sure everythinggoes well, particularly the service.”

The extensive menu is a big attraction andincludes house specialities such as Valencia-style paella and oven-baked cod stuffed withfinely-sliced smoked ham and shrimps.Beautifully presented and served with style byimmaculately attired waiters, a sumptuousdessert trolley and large cheese platter offer aperfect conclusion to any meal.

“This is definitely one of the best places toeat in Luanda – you have friendly and profes-sional staff and great food. What more can youask for?” says public relations executiveCristina Dantas after enjoying shrimp curry,another Pinto’s speciality.

As Luanda’s reputation as a lively cosmo-politan city grows, so too does the demand forupmarket eating houses, prompting anincrease in the choice of restaurants and thevariety of food they serve.

The capital’s chic residents need equallychic places to be wined and dined, with stylishfurnishings, impeccable service and, of course,topnotch food and drink at the head of thewish list.

“There are the favourites, such as Pimms,Coconuts, Caribe and Fortaleza, but there arealso more and more new restaurants to choosefrom,” says Ms Dantas.

Pimms, in the smart residential area ofAlvalade, is another establishment popularwith Luanda’s elite and the expatriate commu-

LunchLunchout

to(clockwise from bottom left)

Pimms; Pintos; Pimms, Cais de Quatro

PHO

TOS: C

AR

LOS M

OC

O

Documents

Universo ANGOLA |OIL BUSINESS | CULTURE ISSUE 14 SUMMER …