TULLOW GHANA AVOIDS LOCAL SERVICE PROVIDERS...GOSPA alleges (PAGE 46, SEPT 23, 2010)

THE local content and participation in the country’s petroleum industry policy has come under threat, following attempts by Tullow Oil, developers of the Jubilee Oil Field, and its partners to sideline local companies from rendering services in the sector, domestic participants in the oil and gas industry have alleged.
According to the Ghana Oil and Gas Service Providers Association (GOSPA), Tullow Ghana has deliberately attempted to kill local businesses rendering services to the offshore oil companies.
They alleged for instance that services that local doctors provided for GH¢100 per patient had been taken over from them and awarded to two expatriate medical service providers at a higher cost of GH¢1,102.50 per patient.
Besides that, GOSPA said, to become a member of the recommended medical facilities, one had to pay a membership fee ranging between $5,000 and $10,000, a situation it described as unacceptable.
According to the President of the association, Mr W. K. Agbesinyale, Tullow Ghana has directed that all medical screening for offshore travel should be done by only International SOS and West African Rescue Association (WARA), contrary to the directives of the Ghana Maritime Authority.
The Ghana Maritime Authority had before the discovery and drilling in 2007 certified Dr Linda Vanotoo in Takoradi, Dr Maame Pokuah Amo-Addae of Shama, Dr Ahmed Nuhu Zakariah of Ridge Hospital, Dr Felix Kwabena Frimpong, Dr Nii Anum Aryeh of Port Medical Centre, Tema and Dr Bentel Emmanuel Tawiah of Solaees Hospital Community 12, Tema as the only physicians who could undertake this kind of screening for maritime work.
A letter from Tullow dated May, 2010, with Document Number TGJ-EHS-POL-04-000 and signed by four of its top officials designated WARA and International SOS in Accra and Takoradi as official medical certification providers in Ghana.
The local practitioners said they did not have a problem with who Tullow decided to contract to provide service, but doing so at an expensive rate for the same quality and depth of service was unacceptable and smacked of deliberately pushing out Ghanaian service providers out of the industry.
The medical doctors also contested the justification for charging up to GH¢1,100 for fitness screening and described it as unacceptable.
The doctors were of the view that if Tullow was the direct employers of the crew that went offshore, it had every right to take them to the expensive facilities such WARA and SOS, but since the crewing of the rig was done by third party companies, the crew should be allowed to be sent to thefacilities approved by the Regional Maritime Authority.