Aderemi Makanjuola – NIGERIA’S TOP 10 MARITIME MAGNATES

Mr. Aderemi Makanjuola is chairman, Caverton offshore Support Group Plc, which provides marine and aviation logistics in the oil and gas industry through subsidiaries from nine locations. Caverton Marine Limited is the subsidiary that provides marine logistics in the Nigerian offshore oil and gas industry. It commenced operations in 1999 and is reputed as one of Nigeria’s fastest growing indigenous shipping companies.

The company was established as a service provider in the oil and gas field specializing in tankers, vessels, boats, barges and allied equipment. It specializes in providing marine/special transportation services and engagement in the shipment of petroleum products.

Since inception, Caverton Marine has positioned itself as one of the leading indigenous oil field services companies in Nigeria. It has taken steps to leverage the opportunities the local content policy has offered indigenous companies in the oil and gas industry. The company is one of the operators that have driven the process of realising the government’s objective of increasing indigenous participation in the oil and gas industry.

The policy, which came into effect with the passage of the Coastal and Inland Shipping [Cabotage] law in 2003, has restricted the operations of marine vessels and the transportation of petroleum products in the region to Nigerian owned vessels. This has enabled Caverton Marine to become a key player in the industry.

The company set out to harness opportunities available in the global market by providing a formidable asset base along with the right infrastructural support and technology to improve efficiency in the industry.

Caverton Marine has built a strong service capacity in the business by drawing from global offshore experience acquired from its strategic partners to reinforce the service delivery competence. Its strategy is to substantially utilise local resources and facilities on its service delivery platforms. Its focus is to become a leading marine logistics provider in the oil and gas industry in Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa.

The company has defined a corporate purpose, which is to create a company that will attain a pioneer status in the ownership and operation of premium offshore oil field assets. Its operations in the maritime sector have been significantly boosted by a rapidly expanding fleet of vessels coupled with its acquisition of key offshore assets and engagement of strategic partners.

Caverton Marine has built the capacity to provide a diverse range of services to its clients ensuring their objectives are completely fulfilled – offshore to land. It has had an impressive track record in ownership and management of vessels, a service that meets current major oil company standards.

The company focuses on developing and maintaining a large, diversified, technologically sophisticated fleet. Its key objective is to obtain and maintain a chartering profile with emphasis on the long-term contract markets with operation in Nigeria.

Some of its key assets that empower its operations include Anchor Handling Tug Supply Vessels, which carry out operations for positioning, maintaining and moving oil and gas platforms. The vessels are equipped with powerful engines and winches and can tow drilling rigs, position and lift anchors, and deploy a range of equipment necessary for oil production.

The company also operates platform supply vessels, which move equipment and special products for oil and gas operations conveniently to offshore platforms. The vessels have a large deck area for conveying all types of equipment, including extra-large and non-standard dimension packages and also offer sizable storage capacity.

Caverton Marine is driving a positive response to government policy through massive investment in the country’s maritime sector. The company is pursuing an aggressive fleet expansion programme as well as crew training and development. These include shipping, variegated services in the marine and oil and gas sector, equipment supplies, provision of marine vessels – boats, tugs and allied equipment.

Makanjuola has built the company’s core values on reducing risk and improving safety as the means of increasing operating efficiency. He has put in place a proactive safety management system that runs from top management down to employees and across to contractors.

The company sets and pursues safety goals as much as its key element of achieving corporate goals. This involves a clear linkage between the safety performance and the organization’s business performance. This forms the bedrock on which the group conducts its logistics support business. The group’s goal of reducing injury to personnel and customers and damages to equipment and the environment have been largely realised.