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STARZS Investment plans fleet growth, partners with Nigerian oil firms, and expands offshore services across Africa.
STARZS Investment Company Ltd., Africa's leading offshore support business and maritime logistics company, has announced that it will expand its fleet and operations across Africa to pursue opportunities in Nigeria's offshore oil & gas projects. The announcement was made at the ninth Nigeria International Energy Summit (NIES) 2026, held in Abuja. According to the CEO of STARZS and a founding member of NIMASA's Governing Board, Iroghama Ogbeifun stated that "the company wants to strengthen partnerships with local oil producers like Seplat Energy and First Exploration & Production (E&P)."
Currently, STARZS operates 11 vessels, including Anchor-handling Tug Supply (AHTS) vessels and security patrol boats, and plans to add another DP2 AHTS tugboat through a shipbuilding contract this year. STARZS provides armed guards on its patrol boats for use by many of the major International Oil Companies (IOCs) in Nigeria including TotalEnergies, Chevron, ExxonMobil, and Renaissance. Ogbeifun gave a brief overview of STARZS’ Pan African offshore support vessel strategy. The aim of the strategy is to address increased need for oil exploration in Namibia, Mozambique, Guinea, and Congo. To accomplish this, partnerships with global tug boat operator, Kotug, will provide STARZS with additional fleet sizes through equipment purchase and bareboat chartering.
Ogbeifun is also looking forward to the launch of the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF) application portal. The 8-year tenure and single-digit interest rate are expected to encourage the growth of vessels that are built in Nigeria and manned by Nigerians. She suggested that cadet training on vessels is required to close the workforce and certification gap in Nigeria’s maritime industry. Finally, STARZS’ growth suggests the increasing confidence in the offshore oil & gas industry in Nigeria as well as a trend among IOCs committing billions of dollars to the development of Nigeria’s offshore resources, while local operators are focusing on strengthening alliances.
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