**Categories:** News, Oil **Tags:** Liberia, NOCAL, LADOL, oil logistics, local content **Excerpt:** NOCAL and Nigeria’s LADOL group are preparing a feasibility study for an offshore logistics base in Buchanan. The project could keep a share of drilling-related services in Liberia, but construction still depends on the study’s findings and definitive agreements. **Slug:** liberia-base-logistique-buchanan-forages-offshore **Image alt:** A support vessel near an offshore drillship off Liberia.
Liberia wants to avoid having future offshore drilling supported exclusively from foreign bases. The state-owned National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL) has signed a joint development agreement with Lagos Deep Offshore Logistics Base (LADOL), a Nigerian group specializing in offshore logistics services. The two partners will study the possibility of building a support base in Buchanan, in Grand Bassa County.
The project comes as exploration activities off the country’s coast increase. In 2025, new licenses were awarded and companies began work on seismic data. NOCAL therefore wants to prepare the onshore services required for maritime operations: transport, storage, supplies, handling and technical support.
A feasibility study before any investment decision
Under the agreement, LADOL is to finance and conduct a feasibility study and coordinate preliminary engineering work. The study, planned to run for approximately six months after its launch, is to examine land, maritime access, utilities, soil conditions and project profitability, among other factors. The partners have identified two plots near the port with a combined area of approximately 83.6 hectares.
These developments do not mean that construction has been approved. After the study, NOCAL and LADOL will still have to negotiate definitive agreements on financing, construction and operation. The facility’s capacity, investment costs and contracts with future offshore operators have not yet been publicly confirmed.
The proposed model would make LADOL NOCAL’s technical partner. This collaboration could bring experience with logistics bases serving deepwater projects. Liberia must nevertheless ensure that financing and governance terms allow the state to defend its interests while supporting commercially viable operations.
Keeping contracts in the national economy
Drilling operations require vessels, equipment, food, fuel, spare parts and specialized services. When these are procured through neighboring ports, the contracts and associated jobs largely bypass the producing country. A local base can bring suppliers closer to offshore operations and shorten supply lead times.
During an earlier campaign, some logistics activities were organized from Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Senegal. Creating domestic capacity could change this distribution if Liberia has suitable infrastructure and operators are willing to use it. Expected savings must be compared with the costs of building and operating the base.
Local content is about more than the port’s location. It depends on Liberian companies that can provide services meeting safety, quality and availability requirements. Training programs, market access standards and subcontracting mechanisms can encourage domestic participation. Without these tools, a base located in the country could remain heavily dependent on foreign suppliers.
Exploration remains uncertain
The base’s timeline depends on the progress of oil activities. Licenses, seismic data and reconnaissance operations do not guarantee the discovery of a commercial deposit. Exploration projects carry significant geological and financial risks, and drilling decisions can be delayed if technical results or market conditions are unsatisfactory.
The Buchanan project could therefore be useful as shared infrastructure, provided its size is not based solely on oil activity that remains uncertain. The study must examine other possible uses of the port, maintenance needs and the facility’s ability to generate revenue independently of a single operator.
Transparency will also be decisive. Publishing feasibility findings, the terms of partner selection and commercial agreements would help assess how risks and benefits are allocated. Tracking contracts awarded to local companies and jobs created would make it possible to verify the announced benefits.
The next milestone is economic viability
NOCAL’s initiative reflects a desire to prepare the logistics chain before the possible launch of major drilling operations. It addresses a strategic question: where will the services and procurement needed for offshore exploration be organized? The answer, however, will depend on actual demand, costs and infrastructure quality.
The next steps are launching the study, confirming the land, defining the operating model and negotiating the final contracts. If the base is approved, it could create a service platform for Liberia’s oil sector and potentially other maritime activities. For now, the project remains a preparatory study whose potential depends on commercial and operational results that have yet to be established.