Nigeria Trip - Part 2

Here are two pictures of a fabrication yard in Port Harcourt:

Those tubes are huge suction piles. You sink those into the ocean floor to keep a floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel from drifting. They act as anchors.

Port Harcourt had different restrictions. We could only travel by car, which was in a convoy with lead and chase vehicles containing armed guards. Guards with automatic weapons. These guards are the Mobil Police (MoPol), which are official policemen for Nigeria. Mobile because they have been taken from their tribes and put in areas that they have no allegiances. During one of our drives, a family pulled between us and the escorts. Our lead vehicle stopped the car and a guard got out and pointed the weapon at the vehicle until it backed out of the way. Now, at the time that felt really extreme, but it makes sense. Oftentimes criminals will try to separate the convoy so they can attack the expat vehicles. Also in Port Harcourt, we essentially live in a prison :) Meaning that we have huge walls around us, bullet proof doors, and we aren't allowed to leave. But the camp had Internet, TV, a restaurant, a mini-store, and recreation (golf, tennis, racquetball) that I didn't use.

The camp where we stayed in Port Harcourt was like a little oasis:

Christmas.

The people are just in poverty. Below are some more pictures:

Yes, that is garbage in a neighborhood. They sift through the trash for edibles.

Even though the country produces millions of barrels of oil in a single day, there isn't enough fuel for the country. They line up early to get some.
This is a main street in one of the larger cities in the Niger Delta.
Poor, but religious. Sadly, while I saw an LDS chapel, I didn't have my camera ready as we drove by.

Driving in Nigeria was crazy. While there are traffic laws, no one really seems to care. The video below shows us driving on the other side of the road to get around people. The pictures show the same things.




Warri had very similar requirements on traveling in a convoy. This city is a source of pride for me though. No ExxonMobil expat employee has spent a night in Warri in almost five years due to security problems. But we were able to get the approvals necessary to stay 2 nights and visit a yard in that city. While you can feel the tension on the Niger Delta (where Port Harcourt and Warri are located), Warri appeared calm and docile during our stay. At least no more dangerous than Port Harcourt.

Here are some pictures from Warri:

Our nice hotel rooms. . . that the AC would turn off when you weren't there. Every evening this place was a sauna when I got back.

Christmas!
A view of the countryside from one of the yards.
Weird to think a city is behind us.
Looks like the Rotary club is everywhere.