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Norwegian firm eyes Kenya oil contracts

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Exploration of oil in Kenya. FILE PHOTO | NMG

A Norwegian marine-focused engineering firm Kongsberg Maritime has struck a deal with South Africa’s subsea and offshore firm Unique Group (UG), with an eye on offshore oil and gas service contracts in Kenya.

As part of the agreement, Unique Group’s Cape Town office will offer KM’s underwater mapping and navigation solutions to customers in Nigeria and Kenya.

The deal will see the duo offer engineering solutions to companies across the oil and gas supply chain.

“We’re pleased to appoint Unique Group’s South Africa office as a market representative of our underwater mapping and navigation solutions in Nigeria and Kenya,” said Konrad Mech, director subsea channel management at Kongsberg Maritime AS.

Kenya is seeking the United Nations’ (UN) authority and expertise to map out Kenya’s territorial waters to enable the country exploit huge oil, natural gas and mineral reserves believed to be underneath the Indian Ocean sea bed.

Kenya has already licensed several companies to prospect for oil in the disputed patch of the ocean as part of its ambitious plan to search for oil and gas both on- and off-shore. Kenya has mapped out 44 oil and gas exploration blocks, licensed to 23 international oil companies and one to the National Oil Corporation of Kenya. They include Total, Eni, Anadarko, BG Group, Apache Corporation, Origin Energy and Pancontinental of Australia.

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