Tuesday, April 02, 2013

Niger Delta Ship Building and Oil Rig Fabrication Yard.



Nigeria is the largest oil and gas producer in Africa and yet 98% of the its Oil platforms, Rigs, FPSO's, LNG tankers, Bunkering Ships, Crude Oil Vessels are not built or maintained in the country.

This is because the country does not have the infrastructure to carry out massive engineering fabrication construction at that scale. The facilities at NigerDock, TinCan, Apapa Wharfs are like a pin in the ocean when you compare them to International facilities like the Erhama Bin Jaber Al Jalahma Shipyard Qatar, ACU Shipyard of Sao Joao 
da Barra, Brazil currently under construction, DDW Dry Docks World of Dubai and other numerous facilities scattered all over Europe, America, Asia and the Middle East.






I am proposing that Nigeria need at least two of these Super-shipyards that can fabricate anything from Massive oil rigs, Steel or Concrete, Oil Platforms, FLNG Floating Liquefied 
Natural Gas Vessels, FPSO's, LNG Tankers, Crude Oil Tankers, Suspended Bridge Sections, Submerged Tunnel Sections, Ro-Ro's, Container Ships etc. 

I have attached a sketch of what I propose that will consist of a large protected dock that have several large dry docks capable of fabricating the largest ships in the world, large assembly platforms where massive rigs can be fabricated before being floated away. 

This facility will also have deep water docks that can handle ships of any size and cranes that have the ability to carry 
out such immense tasks.. It will also have a multi-track freight train line to the facility as well as a multi lane express-way leading to it. It will also have its own airport and new city. In the second phase the heavy industry industrial estate will be expected to take off after a couple of years of this project being finished.






Thursday, March 21, 2013

Public Recreational Space in Lekki, Lagos

The only space that seems to be free in The Lekki Peninsula for Recreational space in the form of Parks, Playgrounds, Sports Pitches and many other types of Sporting activity is the empty space below the PHCN Pylons along the Lekki - Epe express-way. This space is not built up at present because it serves as the right of way for the PHCN high voltage pylons.




However I believe this space could be transformed into versatile Recreational space by building Basketball, Courts, Mini Football pitches, Badminton courts, Playgrounds, running tracks 
etc.

WIRING YABA, LAGOS WITH FIBRE OPTICS, COAXIAL ETC

With my experience in Architecture and Building Services Coordination I believe that when we Choose to install solid Communication Infrastructure in our cities we need to do it the right and proper way. The Diagram above shows in a way how it should be done without continually digging up the roads to Lay HDPE pipes anyhow which is currently been done by the local telecom companies see image below.

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Floating Power Plants Along the West African Coast


West African communities along the coast have the abundance of potential Wind as well as Wave energy that they can harness for their local power needs. The advantage of a floating power plant or even floating biomass power plant is that it can always be moved around. With the information floating around the internet I believe communities could even fabricate or even make their own plants all the need is the proper place to design and fabricate it as well the finance required to complete it.

Friday, May 11, 2012

Lagos Badagry Rail Project

The First phase of the Lagos Badagry Rail project is looking good. The Civil Works from Igamu to Mile 2 have reached an advanced stage see attached photos. The number pedestrian foot bridges running across the roads and proposed railway line seem to be insufficient. I think that they should have them every 200m because of the population density in the areas this railway line is passing through. I also hope that they design has incorporated a lot of redundant concrete ducting for running municipal services, and communication lines i.e fibre optics etc in the future.

Tuesday, November 01, 2011

Enugu Monorail



According to Skyscrapercity "...The first phase of the 21- kilometre Enugu Monorail Project will cost $246m, the consultant, Canada-based engineering firm, Globim Corporation, has announced.

A statement by the Chairman of the firm, Dr Jude Igwemezie, in Enugu on Tuesday said the first phase of the project would have six lines.

It said the project, expected to be completed in three years, would run from Gariki through Agbani Road, Coal Camp, UNTH Road, Ogbete Market, Zik‘s Avenue, back to Agbani Road and looping on the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway.

The statement said the cost would cover building of the infrastructure and acquisition of sufficient trains to ensure viable operations.

It said that when completed, the train would have a minimum of four cars or coaches and six lines with a total capacity of 500 passengers at a speed of 80 km per hour.

“This will be the lowest cost of any monorail of similar size and capacity ever built anywhere. In all, the 117-km equivalent single line monorail system in Enugu will cost approximately $1.5bn.

“The monorail, which will be electrically powered on a straddle beam, will not depend on Nigeria’s epileptic power supply, as diesel generators strategically located on the lines will power the trains,” it said.

The statement announced that the project would be 100 per cent financed by Globim Corporation, which would deliver the best, safe and most conducive intra-city transportation system.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the project will be executed at no cost to the state government, while Globim will deliver over a concession period of 30 years from the initial opening and operation of the lines.

The statement quoted the state Commissioner for Transport, Mr John Egbo, as saying that government was satisfied with the expertise of Globim in rail engineering.

He said, “They have more than 150 years experience in financing, manufacturing, building, managing profitable rail system in America.

“Globim intends to utilise its new TGM-01 train-set designed to provide a combined seating and standing capacity of 550 passengers.‘‘

Egbo said the train would be air conditioned, while passengers would be able to move from one car to another in the trains.

He said that each train would be equipped with remote control, while anti-collision devices would be installed in them and tracks “to ensure that no two trains collid

Monday, April 04, 2011

Enugu Inline Skating Rink and Skateboard Park






The City of Enugu, in Nigeria has and ever growing number of skaters but the problem is that there is no safe and designated recreational space to learn, teach, watch inline skating or even skate boarding. It would be good to see the development of such a facility that could in the future hold X-game type sporting events as well as serve as a spectacular sporting facility.

Friday, February 11, 2011

Strategic bridges in Nigeria - Oron to Calabar Unity Bridge.





The distance between Oron and Calabar is 21 km by boat and about 200 km by road. If a high level suspension or cable stayed bridge is located across the Calabar river delta between Oron and Calabar, it will not only cut the time it takes to travel by about 4 hours. It will also cut the cost of transportation in the area as well as diversify the local and national economy.


I believe the a high Suspension or Cable stayed bridge is the ideal bridge in this area because of the potential river bound traffic on the Calabar river if a huge container terminal were to be built there. An example of this can be seen in the Stonecutters Bridge Hong Kong - see arial map

Bridge photos attached are the conceptual images of the Hong Kong - Zhuhai - Macao Bridge (HZMB) Main Bridge