Opeans Training Center, Warri
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has sealed up an offshore safety training facility, belonging to Opeans Nigeria Limited, along Opete road in Warri, Delta State.
This follows allegations by a petitioner that the company, which operates offshore safety training centers both in Warri and Port Harcourt, has been fraudulently issuing International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC), certificates to unsuspecting Nigerians and Foreigners working in the Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry.
According to the unnamed petitioner, some of the forged IADC approved certificates include; the Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training BOSIET, Helicopter Underwater Escape Training HUET, and Survival at Sea, SAS.
Opeans Training session
The BOSIET, HUET and SAS certificates are mandatory safety requirements for traveling to Offshore and Swamp locations in the Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry.
Opeans Nigeria Limited is said to have issued thousands of these fraudulent certificates, worth millions of naira to workers in the Nigerian oil and gas sector, claiming the courses were accredited by the IADC.
Meanwhile, Vice President Accreditation Operations of IADC, Mark Denkowski, has confirmed that Opeans Nigeria Limited is not an accredited IADC training provider.
Opeans Safety training, BOSIET, SAS, HUET
In an email, he further noted that the International Association of Drilling Contractors does not currently have a BOSIET and HUET accreditation program adding that, the use of the IADC logo by the company on its training certificates was illegal.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, says it raided Opeans Offshore Safety Training facility along Opete Road in Warri, Delta State, following the petition, and uncovered several allegedly forged ‘IADC Approved’ certificates.
The agency explained that it had to seal the training centre to prevent the public from being continuously defrauded by the Company.
Opeans Training Facility
As at the time of filling this report, efforts to reach the Management of Opeans Nigeria Limited and the industry safety regulator, Department of Petroleum Resources were not successful.
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