The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Fee (NUPRC) has revoked the working licence of the Oritsemeyin Rig following a drilling incident on the UDIBE-2 wellbore that raised critical security issues.
The disclosure was conveyed in an announcement posted on the fee’s official X (previously Twitter) account on Friday, September 12, 2025.
In response to the fee, the revocation adopted a assessment of the circumstances surrounding the UDIBE-2 drilling operation, the place a “kick” — the undesirable circulate of formation fluids into the wellbore — was recorded. This incident led to a number of non-productive hours, further prices, and a pressured sidetrack of the properly.
“The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Fee (NUPRC) has revoked the working licence of OritsemeyinRig and directed it to stop all operations upon the completion of its present properly operations.
“The discover is contained in a letter dated September 11, 2025, addressed to Selective Marine Providers Restricted (SMSL) and signed by the Fee Chief Govt, Engineer Gbenga Komolafe.
“The NUPRC mentioned in an announcement on Friday 12 September 2025 that the choice adopted an intensive assessment of the circumstances surrounding the drilling of UDIBE-2 wellbore throughout which a kick was recorded, leading to a number of Non-Productive Time (NPT) with consequential value and a pressured properly sidetrack,” the assertion learn partly.
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NUPRC mentioned it had earlier issued a proper discover of culpability to Selective Marine Providers Restricted (SMSL), operator of the rig, on June 5, 2025, granting a 21-day window to resolve the problems. A reminder was later despatched on July 9, 2025, however the firm failed to realize compliance inside the stipulated time.
“Consequent upon the forgoing and pursuant to the related powers conferred on the fee beneath the extant Petroleum Trade Act 2021, the annual licence to function granted to Selective Marine Providers Restricted for the Oritsemeyin Rig is hereby revoked,” the fee acknowledged.
- The upstream regulator additionally disqualified the Oritsemeyin Rig from all renewal protocols, stating that the sanction takes fast impact consistent with the provisions of the regulation.
- By this motion, Selective Marine Providers Restricted (SMSL) is barred from looking for any future renewal of the rig’s licence, successfully ending its operational standing in Nigeria’s upstream sector.
The NUPRC defined that the choice was backed by the Petroleum Trade Act (PIA) 2021, which empowers the fee to implement compliance with good oilfield practices, uphold worldwide security requirements, and guarantee operational security, industrial effectivity, and environmental sustainability throughout the business.
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