The Managing Director of Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), Mr. Basil Omiyi has disclosed that the much anointed Bonga oil field may commence production this October with about 100,000 barrels per day.

"We should start production at the end of October. We will rapidly build up to 100,000 barrels per day. We would like to have two months of production this year," he said.

According to the Shell boss, his company has been in the forefront of deep water project development stressing that the then Bonga oil field was built around the cost region of $3.5 billion and billed to extend to Plateau production of 225,000 barrels per day next year.

Towards this end, Omiyi explained that the Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SOEPCO) had given Prosafe a 19 week extension variation of its current contract for the utilisation of safe Caledonoa for dynamic positioning hook-up construction support to the Bonga Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel.

He stated the total value for the extension variation gulped $9.9 million just as November 3, 2005 to March 15, 2006 was fixed as extension dates for the existing contracts.

Prosafe, also has various options on the start up date of the Safe Caledonia's job on the Nexen Buzzard project billed to come on stream in 2006.