Shell Petroleum Development Corp (SPDC), the Nigerian arm of the Dutch supermajor, has handed two marine services contracts to C&I Leasings and Maiden Systems.

Dow Jones reports that Tony Okonedo, SPDC's corporate relations manager, announced that the two Nigerian companies will provide tanker handling and pilotage services to support crude export vessels in the Niger Delta.

Although he didn't provide a total value for the contracts, he announced that a key constituent of the deal would be the construction of 11 marine tug boats to secure tankers at Bonny and Forcados.

The new contracts are compliant with new legal requirements ushered in with Nigeria's Local Content Act, which requires foreign oil and gas companies to prioritise work for Nigerian companies and to train local staff wherever possible.

The act also endows the national government with the obligation to provide training and living stipends for ex-rebels in the Niger Delta who downed their weapons in November last year.

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