Offshore Regulatory Confidence in West Africa

West Africa is one of the most active regions for floating production, with robust activity in Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) newbuilds and conversions.

Delivering an FPSO for West Africa demands more than engineering excellence. It requires a partner with a strong regional presence, proven FPSO rules and notations, and the capability to integrate class, flag and coastal-state expectations without adding time or cost. DNV brings a West Africa–ready model, with local teams in key countries, established FPSO references, and a ruleset that reduces risk across design, build, and operations.

Regulatory confidence and seamless integration

DNV is recognised by all the most common used flags for offshore units, including Liberia, Marshall Islands, and Bahamas. We hold broad statutory authorizations to approve, survey, and issue SOLAS and MARPOL certificates, simplifying your class and statutory integration and certificate chain. Our approach ensures clear boundary management between flag, class, and coastal-state requirements, avoiding duplicate reviews and confusion. This is proven on FPSOs and directly applicable to West African regimes.

Our local presence where you operate

Where we operate:

• Angola: Delivery teams in Luanda supporting FPSO class, surveys, and campaigns.
• Nigeria: Delivery teams in Lagos for class/surveys and vendor engagement.
• Ghana: Delivery teams in Accra for class, in-service support, and projects.
• Namibia: Teams in the Walvis Bay office to deliver in-service support and projects
• South Africa: Long-standing regional presence supporting projects and mobilisation into West Africa.

How we deliver

• Early scoping & boundary setting: We map your concept against DNV FPSO rules and agree the class versus coastal-state split from the start to avoid duplication later.
• Concurrent design verification & plan approval: We run class reviews in parallel with statutory items tied to your chosen flag, and structure additional verifications only where needed for the field/state.
• Construction & commissioning with fewer surprises:Yard-friendly inspection regimes, remote options where applicable, and clear acceptance criteria aligned with our rules and your flag.
• Operate with confidence: Transition to Asset Integrity management, including Mooring Integrity management, hull integrity management and RBI. This can be shown through our in-operation class notations, encouraging digital integrity solutions so decisions are evidence-based.

At a glance: why DNV for a West Africa FPSO

• Regulatory & flag-ready: Broad authorisations with common flags; proven class/statutory integration; clean boundary management with coastal regimes.
• Local delivery with global back-office: Teams in Luanda, Lagos, Accra; long regional footprint; capacity to mobilise around integration yards and offshore campaigns.
• FPSO-specific rules & notations: DNV Offshore Rules for production units - RU-OU with PROD, mooring and in-operation options
• Digital & cyber remote survey capability: Cyber Secure class aligned with IACS UR E26/E27.
• Commercial assurance: Recognised by insurers and lenders; structured to minimise duplication with third-party verification.

Let’s scope your project

Whether you are sanctioning a greenfield project, relocating a unit or planning a life extension in West Africa, DNV provides a single, accountable partner ensuring alignment across rules, flag, and coastal-state expectations without compromising schedule or cost.