Local
fabrication yard hailed as a story of success
By
Yvonne Webb
The
Trinidad Guardian
Port
Spain
Petroleumworld.com
07 02 06
President
of Trinidad Offshore Fabricators Unlimited (Tofco)
Jeffrey Lee has hailed the development of the fabrication
yard at La Brea as a T&T success story.
Formed
in 2003, Tofco is a joint venture between Chet Morrison
(USA) and Welfab Ltd (T&T) and operates the
fabrication yard located on the La Brea Industrial
Estate.
The
company builds platforms and decks for oil companies
and recently celebrated its second anniversary and
the completion of its third platform—the Oilbird
platform for EOG Resources.
In
hailing the company’s success, Lee described
Prime Minister Patrick Manning, who attended the
anniversary celebrations, and others who conceptualised
the yard as visionaries and heroes.
“You
have something special here,” he told Manning
and representatives of various energy companies,
diplomats and politicians.
“I
beg to differ with those who say you cannot find
leadership in T&T,” he said.
Lee
also noted that the welders, fabricators and other
workers were just as good as any he had worked with
across the globe. The company employs 300 people,
with 70 per cent from the La Brea area.
“We
are not just creating a fabrication facility here,
we are creating a family,” Lee said.
Tofco’s
general manager, Suresh Gangabissoon, said the past
two years had been extremely gratifying.
He
recalled that when they arrived, the dock and the
site were under construction and they had 16 months
to load out their first platform.
Gangabissoon
said he was told that the entire world was looking
on to see not if they would fail, but when.
With
one project engineer, a handful of riggers and a
few fitter welders, they delivered the first platform
Kairi I (built by Damus) for bpTT as scheduled and
then the Cannonball.
After
the Cannonball was loaded out in April 2005, Tofco
was able to complete the Oilbird platform in 12
months. The Oilbird platform is the heaviest and
most complete structure built in Trinidad to date.
Two
other platforms, Mango and Cashima are under construction.
National
Energy Corporation President Prakash Saith said
the success of the fabrication yard was a significant
step for Trinidad’s manufacturing sector.
He
said for approximately 50 years, exploration and
production companies have been importing platforms
resulting in millions of dollars, thousands of jobs
and the development of a new expertise going to
the United States and not directly benefitting the
local economy.
Manning
lauded the project as another milestone in the economic
and social development of the people of T&T.
Manning
said he was criticised and even the object of a
police investigation as a result of his government’s
decision to construct the fabrication yard at La
Brea.
He
said he was impressed with Tofco’s record
of having constructed the platforms on time, on
budget and to a very high standard of engineering
excellence of which T&T is becoming well known.
“What
we are indeed examining here is an entirely new
industry in T&T.
“I
have no doubt that as the industry progresses and
as we are able to boast of 300 people at Tofco,
that the training programmes that are required to
increase that number will take place and Tofco will
continue to make its contribution to the skills
bank of T&T,” said the Prime Minister.
The Trinidad Guardian
Thursday 29th June, 2006
Copyright
©2006 The Trinidad Guardian. All Rights Reserved.
