Tombim Services Limited

Flawless performance

Predominantly active in the offshore, upstream sector of the oil and gas industry, Tombim Services Limited was established in 1999 in Nigeria to act as a provider of procurement, engineering, fabrication and maintenance services to clients operating in said field:

“Starting life with less than ten employees, the company has gone from strength-to-strength over the years and today boasts more than 150 permanent and temporary personnel,” states Kabir Abdul, administrations manager of Tombim Services Limited.

The first wholly indigenous company to undertake and successfully overhaul specialised equipment on behalf of ExxonMobil, the company has gone from providing only procurement services to being able to offer specialised engineering, fabrication and maintenance services, collecting formal recognition and numerous industry awards along the way.

Also acting as the Nigerian representative of Camfil Farr International, a leading provider of clean air solutions, Tombim Services Limited provides a full range of engineering services, from conceptual studies in the earliest part of an offshore field’s life to detailed design, installation and commissioning.

One of the company’s defining moments came in 2004 when it conducted the complete overhaul of the Mobil Producing Nigeria (MPN) Unlimited single point mooring buoy 1414. As a result of the dedication and hard work of its employees, the company was able to carry out this critical work with no safety incidents, to meet MPN’s stringent quality expectations and to deliver the buoy on schedule.

More recently, in March 2011, Tombim Services Limited again received special praise from MPN for its performance during the relocation of an operations office from its former home on the Inim production platform to the LB Kylie jack up barge as part of the Etim-Inim life extension project. Throughout the project the company’s employees were praised for their high level of professionalism in the flawless and safe execution of the project.

This professionalism and efficiency was best displayed in their ability to align with MPN’s operations personnel towards the prompt mitigation of potential challenges that could have impacted production operations and other ongoing activities in the field. Consistently putting safety first and working with enthusiasm, praise was drawn to a number of qualities Tombim Services Limited’s employees displayed throughout the task. These include their excellent interface skills, ability to understand existing operations electrical systems, their humble disposition to achievement and their deep understanding of the projects’ scope and expectations. Together these characteristics helped achieve the flawless execution of this particular undertaking.

“Integrity and having the drive to improve in all facets of its business at all times are the main drivers that help set Tombim Services Limited apart from its competition,” Kabir says. “The zeal and level of passion possessed by each and every member of the team here at the company remains the same, regardless the size and nature of the project at hand, and the company’s desire to deliver on time and to budget, without ever compromising on safety or the quality of work, is what truly defines Tombim Services Limited.”

These skills also help the company overcome some of the more complex challenges that it faces on a regular basis: “Some of the bigger difficulties faced by Tombim Services Limited include the need to have the right tools that are consistently in the best working conditions, as and when needed and being able to put the interest of the host communities at heart when employing people,” Kabir highlights. “Fortunately, Tombim Services Limited has always had the attitude that it prefers to own equipment rather than lease it and this has allowed it to perfect its ability to select and acquire only top-of-the-range, regularly maintained and calibrated tools.”

The safety of its employees has always been of the utmost importance to the company and this has been reflected in the various different awards and certificates it has received over the years. In 2009, ExxonMobil was proud to present Tombim Services Limited with a contractor safety award for Best Newcomer. Two years later this achievement was bettered at the 2011 NPO Contractors’ Safety Forum when it was presented with the Most Improved Award for its work on behalf of MPN.

“These awards provide further proof of the quality of the relationship Tombim Services Limited shares with ExxonMobil, which has remained its main client for over 13 years,” Kabir enthuses. “While this is a partnership that the company hopes and expects to continue going from strength-to-strength, Tombim Services Limited will be making every effort going forward to service more of the oil and gas majors that enter the region.”

At present the company operates from a leased fabrication facility that houses all of its equipment, however plans are under way that will lead to the acquisition of its own specialised facility within the next three years: “Although it remains a relatively small company, certainly when compared to some of the multi-national players in the market, Tombim Services Limited aims to place itself in a position where it can offer a greater degree of competition to these companies. With this mission well on its way to becoming a reality, it is safe to say that Tombim Services Limited is moving up in the world,” Kabir concludes.

Tombim Services Limited
Services: Engineering, fabrication and maintenance services