KEY POINTS ON THE PROCESS AND REQUIREMENT FOR OBTAINING AN OFFSHORE SAFETY PERMIT (OSP) FOR OIL AND GAS WORKERS IN NIGERIA

1. What is an Offshore Safety Permit?

There are regulatory requirements for traveling either by helicopter or boat to offshore/swamp facilities; oil and gas platforms, rigs, work barges, marine vessels, work boats owned or operated by operators/contractors in the Nigerian oil and gas industry. Offshore Safety Permit (“OSP”) is a Personnel Accountability System (PAS) designed by the Department of Petroleum Resources (“DPR”) for the tracking of personnel working in Onshore and Offshore locations, managing installations owned and/or operated by Oil and Gas operators and contractors in Nigeria.

The permit is issued by DPR for travelling by boat, ship or helicopter to offshore/swamp facilities, ship to ship transfer, oil and gas platforms, rigs, work barges, marine vessels, work boats operated and owned by contractors in the oil and gas industry.

The fundamental purpose of OSP is to account for and save the lives of the oil and gas workers through effective training in compliance with Minerals Oils (Safety) Regulations and International Codes, Standards and Best Practices. The DPR is responsible for the issuance, and establishment/management of OSP in the National Data Repository (NDR), while the carrier provides the required infrastructure for the implementation.

2.   What are the types of Offshore Safety Permits?

There are Seven (7) types of offshore safety permits in which personnel intending to travel/work offshore may apply under. They are: –

1. Full Offshore Safety Permit (Blues OSP Card) issued to those seeking to make frequent trips to offshore facilities. It requires (T) BOSIET or (T) FOET from a DPR-approved training organization.
2. Travel Safely by Boat Offshore Safety Permit (green OSP Card) issued to those who have completed the Travel Safety by Boat (TSbB) training.
3. Marine Crew Offshore Safety Permit (Red OSP Card) issued based on the applicants’ STCW training and Certificate of Competence and proof of BOSIET training. They are restricted to travel by boat only and not permitted to travel by helicopter unless they have undergone HUET training.
4. Helicopter- only Offshore Safety Permit (Orange OSP Card) issued to those who have undergone HUET training and the applicant shall show proof that his specific role does not require continuous stay at offshore/swamp locations (like Marine Crew members).
5. Infrequent Offshore Traveler Safety Permit (White OSP Card) for those work regularly offshore but cannot be used for more than four (4) return trips to offshore/swamp locations within a given year. This is valid for three (3) years with a maximum of four (4) offshore return trips in each year.
6. One-Time Visit Offshore Safety Permit (Yellow OSP Card)
7. Special Offshore Safety Permit (Purple OSP Card): In exceptional circumstances, a Special Offshore Safety Permit may be issued, subject to approval of the Director of Petroleum Resources. This is usually for visit to an offshore facility by State Dignitaries, Senior Company Managers and Directors, Government visitors and other Very Important Persons. The application for Special Offshore Safety Permit to the Director shall indicate at the minimum, the name of personnel, designation/role, brief details of intended activity at the offshore/swamp location, intended travel date and travel destination. The Special Offshore Permit is valid for a maximum of two (2) return trips per year. Subsequent visit will attract the fees applicable to One-Time Visit OSP.

The requirements for Special OSP permits are listed below:

7 (i) Before the offshore travel, all visitors must be given travel briefing and upon arrival to location, be given site HSE briefing;

7 (ii) Visitors are to be accompanied always by personnel from the Host Team and ensure the Visitor Helmet policy of licensee or lessee is followed;

7 (iii) Optimized sitting arrangement (e.g. TBOSIET/TFOET trained passenger to sit next to door/window as well as to be the buddy for non-HUET trained visitor/ passenger).

7 (iv) The personnel are not permitted to make an overnight stay at offshore/swamp location. Same day return flight must be ensured for all visitors.

Note: An Operator/Facility Owner can ONLY be issued a maximum of twenty (20) free Special OSP cards with VIP status for any given year. Each of the VIP OSP cards shall be attached to a company and be valid for two (2) return trips in each year. Any additional Special OSP card shall attract the fee for One-time Visit OSP.

3. What is the procedure for application for Offshore Safety Permits?

i. Prepare List of all Offshore Personnel in your Company: The list is required to be in accordance with the OSP requirements.

ii. Payment and Submission of List: Pay applicable fee into the DPR Account and obtain a receipt; thereafter, present the receipt and the list of offshore personnel and their details to the West Atlantic Energy Nigeria Limited (WAEL), a DPR accredited agent.

iii. Carry out Image Capture of all Personnel into the Database: WAEL representatives will facilitate the image capture of all person ell either at their office of at any other agreed location.

iv. Collection of Permit and Card Usage: Proceed to collect your permit from DPR or WAEL offices and ensure the use of your card at any embarkation/disembarkation point.

4. What are the costs of obtaining offshore permit in Nigeria?

i. Regular offshore workers are required to pay a one-off payment of US$580 (Fine Hundred and Eighty US Dollars only) per worker. This is required to be paid in the first year as initial registration on the platform.

ii. Subsequent years after registration, each person is required to pay a subscription renewal fee of US$135 (One Hundred and Thirty-Five US Dollars only).

iii. Where the OSP Card is lost and an offshore worker seeks a replacement, he would be required to pay the sum of US$67 (Sixty-Seven US Dollars only). However, any OSP card that becomes inadvertently damaged or defaced will be changed by DPR at no fee to the card holder.

iv. One-Time Offshore Visitors are required to pay the sum of US$200 (Two Hundred US Dollars only) as One-Time Offshore Visit Fee. This fee is valid for one time return visit to offshore locations. NOTE: Naira payment can be made on the DPR Treasury Single Account (TSA) on the Remita Platform (www.remita.net)

4. What are the mandatory requirements?

Personal information and Biometrics of applicants will be required to complete the application process on the website of DPR.

In addition to the above, all offshore personnel applying for the OSP under the first 6 types of OSP permits listed in (i) – (vi) above, are required to meet the following requirements:

i. Have a valid offshore medical certificate of fitness from designated medical facilities, clinics or hospitals in Nigeria confirming the bearer’s fitness to travel to an offshore environment. The medical examinations shall be in conformance with the requirements of the “Occupational Health Guideline and Standards for Medical Assessment of Fitness to Work in the Oil & Gas Industry in Nigeria”. Medical certificates obtained from facilities outside Nigeria shall need concurrence from a designated medical facility in Nigeria;

ii. Have completed the required mandatory internationally recognized safety survival training as stipulated by DPR for Offshore/Swamp Travel. The training shall be conducted at DPR accredited training centers. Safety survival training obtained from offshore training centers outside Nigeria shall be validated by DPR prior to its acceptance for OSP registration. Please note that safety survival training (BOSIET, HUET, Firefighting, FOET, TSbB etc.) shall be deemed internationally recognized if the training is accredited by organizations such as IADC, API, OPITO, NOGEPA, OLF, UKOOA, NSOC-D and that which may be recognized by the Director of Petroleum Resources in writing.

iii. Non-Nigerian citizens working offshore must hold a valid Work Permit Visa. A visiting or tourist visa is not acceptable; and

iv. Payment of applicable fees. See applicable fees above.

Please note also that Special Offshore Safety Permit category may be exempted from the above mandatory requirements.

5. What is the Timeline for the completion of the application process?

If all the requirements are correctly uploaded and there is no query, the permit is issued between 48 – 72 Hours.