Caverton unveils 40-seater water bus, makes appointments

Caverton Offshore Support Group has showcased a 40-seater water bus, a prototype boat that it believes will support marine transport especially across coastal areas, just as the company announced key appointments.

Speaking at the exhibition stand at the NOG conference in Abuja on Monday, the Chief Executive Officer of the firm, Olabode Makanjuola said the company which started in 1999 by providing marine logistics services for the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) was expanding from aviation services towards marine transport.

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Olabode said, “We are able to build our first prototype boat which is oil industry standard, meaning that it is very safe and we are very proud of it as it is our newest project. It can also be used as a crew boat for the IOCs. We are looking at all the riverine areas, we have got people interested in this in Akwa Ibom, Rivers, among others.”

On aviation services which Caverton started in 2004, the CEO said: “We also found that Nigeria lacks Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility and training, and so we built the first ever MRO centre in Lagos. We don’t have to fly any of our aircraft out of the country for major repairs.”

Also on training, he said the firm bought the first Simulator facility for helicopter training. “An hour on this simulator is an hour flying and it is really for people who want to learn how to fly.”

He also said when the aviation section of the business began, all of the pilots were expatriates but with intense training, it had reached 75% local content.

Meanwhile, Makanjuola, in a statement issued in Lagos, announced the appointment of Captain Ibrahim Chafe Bello, as Managing Director/Accountable Manager of Caverton Helicopters Ltd starting July 1, 2022. Bello, with 34 years’ experience, was the Director of Operations from 2015 until this appointment.