An Oil and Gas Industry Consultant, Dr Maurice Ibe, says the revocation of the operating licence of Oritsemeyin Rig serves as a warning to upstream operators to strictly comply with guidelines.

Ibe, who is the Group Executive Chairman of the Benham Group, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, Abuja, on Sunday.

NAN reports that the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission revoked the operating licence granted to Selective Marine Services Limited for Oritsemeyin Rig, and directed it to cease all operations until the completion of its current well operations.

The notice is contained in a letter dated September 11, 2025, addressed to Selective Marine Services Limited and signed by the Commission Chief Executive, Mr Gbenga Komolafe.

The NUPRC said the decision followed a thorough review of the circumstances surrounding the drilling of UDIBE-2 wellbore, during which a kick was recorded, resulting in several Non-Productive Time with consequential cost and a forced well sidetrack.

The upstream regulator also disqualified the Oritsemeyin Rig from all renewal protocols in strict compliance with the applicable provisions of the law forthwith.

Reacting to the development, Ibe said that the revocation was a warning to other upstream operators to strictly conform to the standards set in the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA 2021).

He said the NUPRC’s action was in line with the PIA 2021, which mandated compliance with good oilfield practices, operational safety, and technical excellence.

“Oritsemeyin apparently did not adhere to standard operating procedures and protocols.

“The action of NUPRC is an indication of the importance and seriousness of the regulatory body to sanction erring operators and warn other upstream operators to strictly conform with the standards set in PIA 2021.

“Serious investors should applaud the action and appreciate NUPRC’s decisive action to prevent potential safety issues that can snowball into a major catastrophe for all,” he said.

A kick on an oil rig is the unwanted flow of formation fluids (oil, gas, or water) into the wellbore during drilling operations due to a temporary pressure imbalance, where the pressure inside the wellbore becomes lower than the formation pressure.

This phenomenon, if left unmanaged, can lead to a potentially catastrophic uncontrolled release of fluids called a blowout. (NAN)