Weatherford has just celebrated 50 years of operation in Nigeria.
If you were to make a list of the top five major oil services companies in the world today and didn’t include Weatherford, we would simply assume one of two things: you made a huge mistake, or you’re new to the oil and gas market.
This suggests how well-established Weatherford is. But don’t take out words for it. Let’s delve deeper into what the company actually does.
Weatherford, formally known as Weatherford International, is a multinational oilfield services giant headquartered in Houston, Texas, which also hosts rivals like SLB, Baker Hughes, and Halliburton.
The company is known for its comprehensive offerings across drilling, evaluation, completion, production, and well intervention. Its shares first became available to the public in March 2009, the same year it began trading on the Nasdaq under the ticker WFRD.
Weatherford has operations in more than 75 countries, across many continents like North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
Weatherford in Nigeria
In Nigeria, Weatherford operates through its subsidiary, Weatherford Nigeria Limited, which registered as a private company limited by shares on 4 September 1975.
Its mandate includes providing oilfield equipment and services across the exploration sector, as well as consulting on engineering matters across markets.
To support its regional execution and client management functions, the company maintains two primary operational bases in Nigeria:
- Lagos (Victoria Island)
- Port Harcourt (Trans-Amadi Industrial Layout)
Weatherford Nigeria delivers a range of oilfield services including drilling support, completions, maintenance, and project execution.
Key services in Nigeria
Over the past five decades, Weatherford has transformed from a newly incorporated service company into a significant supplier of oilfield and completion technologies in Nigeria.
It has introduced advanced completion systems like the TR1P, supported deepwater projects like Bonga, and facilitated infrastructural services such as conductor installations.
However, its journey has also been marked by challenges, including disputes over local content compliance and workforce localization practices.
But we can’t overlook the fact that its operations over the last five decades have helped advance the oil industry in Nigeria; one of Africa’s most important energy markets.
Beyond Nigeria, Weatherford also operates in other African countries like Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, Congo, Egypt, Kenya, Senegal, Tunisia, and Libya.