The Sonangol Integrated Logistics Services (SONILS) base manages the onshore supply base strategically located near the main commercial port of the country in Luanda. Oscar Magalhaes, Commercial Manager of SONILS spoke to Africa Energy Series – Angola about how SONILS supports 60 percent of the daily production of oil and gas in Angola.
What services does the base provide the country’s operators and service providers?
SONILS provides quayside capacity for support and ocean-going vessels, transport and handling equipment, offices, warehouses, specialized workshops, crew terminal services, specialized logistics staff, and utilities. Throughout its 23-year history, SONILS has supported logistical operations of major offshore projects, including the deep-water projects such as Girassol, Dalia, PSVM, and PazFlor. The more recent and most significant oil and gas project in which SONILS was involved has been Total’s Kaombo project, which was estimated at $16 billion.
SONILS is a fully-fledged oil service center with the concept of being a one-stop-shop, whereby we offer a full range of services to the oil and gas industry within the region and provide each company present with dedicated facilities and areas in which to manage and operate their businesses. These areas are supported by the OSC infrastructure, which is completely self-sufficient in terms of electricity, water, communications, catering facilities, transport, etc. SONILS also offers a unique location in the capital city, which includes the largest international airport, the largest port in Angola, access to a skilled workforce and other support infrastructure that adds immensely to our value proposition. Going forward, we aim to become an even more dynamic, agile, modern and data-driven organization with a focus on safety and service quality.
Through the development of policies and practices of talent management, SONILS has invested in local content by creating conditions for a conducive work environment regardless of people’s background, beliefs or lifestyle, as well as for strategic partnerships to achieve higher standards. We invest heavily in training our workforce with a focus on constant evaluation and career planning.
As a local company, what is the capacity for national companies to contribute to economic growth and nation-building?
Today, many Angolan companies have competent and developed structures capable of meeting international needs and best practices. This experience has developed mainly in the oil and gas sector where the challenges related to service quality, cost reduction, and competitiveness are the greatest. Also, the state has created conditions in other sectors for national companies to participate in the process of economic development, taking advantage and realizing the business opportunities that present themselves.
What is SONILS’ message to potential investors interested in Angola?
We want to invite investors to participate in the process of economic diversification currently underway in the country in virtually all branches of the economy, including agriculture, fisheries, and tourism. The size of the market, the huge prospects and the ongoing reforms in the country, including the new sector regulators, make Angola one of the most exciting oil and gas markets, not only in the African continent but also worldwide.
