Exotic Flavours of Angolan Cuisine
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
ISSUE 3 AUTUMN 2004 SONANGOL universoANGOLA | OIL | BUSINESS | CULTURE TRADING PLACESPLACES Selling Angola’s oil across the wworldorld LIFE AT SEA Training is just a part of the busy day FRIED GREEN CCATERPILLARSATERPILLARS Exotic flaflavoursvours of AngAngolanolan cuisine ISSUE 3 AUTUMN 2004 INSIDE SONANGOL S ISSUE 3 AUTUMN 2004 T SONANGOL Universo also travelled back through the production cycle EDITOR’S LETTER universoANGOLA | OIL | BUSINESS | CULTURE to see where the process begins – in this case at an offshore 8. Trading Places facility in Block 3. We see how oil is coaxed from the depths, N The sweetness of crude is the and how Angolans are being trained to take over all aspects of E The US, the world’s largest oil subject of the third issue of operations. consumer, is still the biggest pur- Sonangol Universo. Sweetness Offshore crews operate in rotation and no work would be T refers to the level of sulphur in the chaser of Angolan crude, but possible without a fleet of helicopters to transport personnel oil and is a key determinant of the and equipment to and from production facilities. We talk to the China has moved into second price a particular grade will achieve N head of Sonangol subsidiary Sonair, the near exclusive provider place, with demand from Asia on the world market. S of offshore air services, about preparing for competition. O T O growing rapidly. Crude oils are not created H P From offshore to deep inland, we also introduce readers to E D I O equal and we profile the characteristics of the different W the little-known hinterland of Angola, in a feature on Cunene, D L R Angolan grades reporting on how they are received by interna- O one of the most promising provinces of the south – a parched W P A tional buyers, because Sonangol is uncommonly open in C region with huge agricultural and tourism potential. publishing the details of individual cargoes. For those who have never visited to the capital, we paint a 14. Shared Success Now the company has established a global trading infra- portrait of Luanda, with its wide array of cultural influences. structure and is set to deepen its penetration into markets in As well as providing expertise and revenue for Sonan- Many of its historic buildings are now being restored – a sure the East, where demand is growing strongly. gol, a new generation of high-tech joint ventures will reflection of the steady post-war restoration of Angola itself. E N E S put Angola on the path to sustainable growth. S A M E L L I E H P O T S I INSIDE ANGOLA R H C 46. Hand it to Sonangol 18. Frequent Flyers Rua 1° Congresso do MPLA, 34. Nurturing Waters the Girls N.º 8-16 Caixa Postal 1316, Luanda Sonair’s helicopters are the Life is not easy in the dry southern One for all and all for one, is República de Angola lifeline of Angola’s offshore Tel: +244 2 391 182 province of Cunene, but local people the cry of the Angolan women’s T S Fax: +244 2 391 782 I industry. Although it has V Q handball team as they sweep Telex: 2089 SONANG AN show spirit and resourcefulness to G R E B [email protected] enjoyed a near monopoly, the N aside all competition. improve their lives. A H O company is now facing up to J Sonangol USA (Sonusa) 1177 Enclave Parkway the prospect of competition. E N E Second Floor S S A M Houston,TX 77077 E L 38. Organic Growth L I USA E H P Tel: +1 281 920 7600 O T S I Once a bread basket for southern Fax: +1 281 920 7666 R H [email protected] C Africa, Angola is rediscovering its 48. Fried Green Sonangol UK agricultural potential. Caterpillars Merevale House Brompton Place 22. Life at Sea London SW3 1QE Angolan food is exotic and full United Kingdom Offshore workers say they of character, but those looking Tel: +44 207 838 4600 42. Urban Fabric Fax: +44 207 589 9454 sometimes feel like the for a low-carb diet are advised Telex: 893212 SONANG forgotten men of the 28. An Ounce of Luanda is a riot of building styles to steer clear. Sonangol Asia production business. Prevention that knit together to create a T S 3 Temasek Avenue I V vibrant, visually pleasing capital city. Q 31-04 Centennial Tower Universo went to keep them G R E B Singapore 039190 Sonangol has far-reaching infra- N company for a day, and to A Tel: : +65 64 16 3583 H O structure in place to promote J Fax: +65 64 16 3582 see how local staff are employee welfare, particularly in being trained to manage This magazine is produced for Sonangol by Impact Media Global Ltd, 66 Chiltern Street, London W1U 4JT, UK, Tel: +44 20 7034 1300 ~ Fax: +44 20 7935 5777 N A respect of Angola’s two serious M the production process. R Publisher: John Charles Gasser; Vice President: Sheila O’Callaghan; Editor: Sue Branford; Managing Editor: Christophe Illemassene; Sub Editor: Peter Moeller; E B L Art Director: Lisa Pampillonia; Advertising Design: Bernd Wojtczack; Circulation Manager: Tony Adkins; Contributors: Helen Campbell, Johan Bergqvist,William Wareing Y public health problems – Z T N Cover: Laurent Zylberman/Graphix Images E R malaria and HIV/Aids. U A All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical without prior permission in writing from the publishers. SONANGOL L [email protected] 4 SONANGOL UNIVERSO AUTUMN 2004 5 NEWS IN BRIEF . Charms of Venus C N I KPMG recommends that as part of the , M O C . S A new ultra-deep oil development off Angola’s shores is in sight. Sonangol new system, a petroleum revenue manage- E G A M I and BP’s Angola unit announce a further commercial discovery on Block 31, ment agency should oversee the handling of / K O Venus – bringing the total number of successful wells in the contract area to O petroleum tax revenues between the govern- C Y H four. T ment and Sonangol. Such an agency would O M I T Venus, 175 kms off the coast, follows the earlier finds, Saturno, Marte, and also forecast petroleum revenues and help Plutão, located 11, 13 and 16 kms from it respectively. Operator BP and its the government to plan future budgets. partners – units of ExxonMobil, Statoil, Total and Marathon as well as Sonangol – are now working The Angolan government has acknowl- towards a joint development of reserves found in the northern section of the block. edged a need for greater openness, and it is Venus 1 was drilled to a total depth of 4,506m in 2,000m of water, encountering three oil- . hoped this will pave the way towards agree- C N I bearing reservoirs. Block 31 covers a total area of 5,349 sq. kms with water depths ranging from , M ment with the IMF, on funds for the O C 1,500-2,000m. It is adjacent to Block 32, where Total made its Gindungo discovery in 2003. S E country’s reconstruction, to replace the G A BP says it is exploring a number of ways of developing these reserves and will be carrying out M I / more expensive oil-backed loans. N O further work in the area as part of that process. Marathon adds that more exploration wells are S R E Furthering efforts to boost transparency D planned this year, although these are likely to be outside the north-eastern development area. N A L in the oil sector, Sonangol approved the U A Estimates of reserves found to date in the ultra-deep water belt now total 1.3 billion barrels. P recent release by ChevronTexaco of details According to Reports of $290 million in bonus payments it made in acquiring the licence for Block Zero off- shore Cabinda. New LPG Vessel Offshore Joint Venture May saw the much-anticipated summa- Manuel Vicente, chairman and chief ry of a report into the country’s oil industry executive officer of Sonangol says: “The gov- Late November will see the arrival in Norwegian drilling rig owner, Ocean by the Angolan government. The disclosure ernment of Angola understands that good Angola of a new liquefied petroleum gas Rig, has formed a joint venture with of the report’s main findings is one of the governance is a cornerstone of good busi- (LPG) vessel from Japan. The massive, dou- Luanda-based construction firm Empresa first steps towards increased financial trans- ness. Economic growth and stability are ble-hulled production and storage unit, de Serviços de Apoio à Produção (SARL). parency, and the international financial critical factors in the reconstruction of purchased by Cabinda Gulf Oil Co. The company, Ocean Rig & ESAP community has welcomed the move. The report, commissioned in 2002 from Angola which is why we are working dili- (Cabgoc), will be used to develop the Sanha Drilling, will be the main vehicle for the consulting giant KPMG, calls for greater gently to put in place the financial gas condensate and Bomboco oil fields. It Ocean Rig’s future drilling activities off- transparency in the management of Angola’s management systems necessary to facilitate is scheduled to start operations on Block shore Angola. oil finances. The government is now set to the resumption of normal economic life for C Zero during the first quarter of 2005.