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Nigeria’s Maritime Sector Gains As President Tinubu Commissions 40,000 CBM LPG Vessel in South Korea
Nigeria’s Maritime Sector Gains As President Tinubu Commissions 40,000 CBM LPG Vessel in South Korea
Lagos, Nigeria– Nigeria’s waterways and maritime infrastructure received a significant boost on Monday as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu commissioned a state-of-the-art 40,000 cubic meters Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) vessel in Ulsan, South Korea, marking a pivotal moment for the country’s maritime energy transport capabilities.
The newly commissioned vessel, christened “MT Iyaloja (Lagos)” in honor of the late Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji, President Tinubu’s mother, represents a major expansion of Nigeria’s domestic shipping capacity for clean energy distribution across West African waterways.
WAGL Energy Limited, a joint venture between Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) and Sahara Group, now operates an impressive fleet totaling 162,000 CBM capacity across Nigerian and regional waters. The dual-fuel, fully refrigerated LPG carrier joins existing vessels MT Africa Gas, MT Sahara Gas, MT BaruMK, and MT Sapet in servicing maritime energy routes throughout the Gulf of Guinea.
Speaking through the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, President Tinubu emphasized Nigeria’s commitment to positioning itself as a regional maritime energy hub, delivering clean energy solutions across African coastal waters and international shipping lanes.
NNPC Ltd.’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Bashir Ojulari, highlighted the vessel’s strategic importance to Nigeria’s domestic shipping industry. Represented by Executive Vice President for Gas, Power and New Energy, Olalekan Ogunleye, Ojulari noted that the indigenous company has successfully transported over six million metric tons of LPG across West African shipping routes over the past five years.
“This vessel strengthens our commitment to ensuring LPG affordability and accessibility through our coastal and inland waterways network,” Ojulari stated, underscoring the vessel’s role in enhancing Nigeria’s maritime logistics capabilities.
WAGL Chairman and Sahara Group Executive Director Temitope Shonubi emphasized the company’s vision of bridging Africa’s maritime energy infrastructure gaps through strategic vessel deployments across regional waterways. The MT Iyaloja represents a cornerstone in expanding integrated supply networks throughout African coastal and inland water routes.
Managing Director Mohammed Bello announced ambitious fleet expansion plans, revealing that WAGL intends to add both a Small Gas Carrier and a Very Large Gas Carrier (VLGC) to its maritime operations within the next two years, further strengthening Nigeria’s position in regional waterways commerce.
The vessel’s commissioning ceremony featured a symbolic ribbon-cutting performed by Alhaja Folasade Tinubu-Ojo, the Iyaloja-General of Nigeria and granddaughter of the late Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji, whose name graces the vessel. The ceremony underscored the deep connection between Nigeria’s maritime heritage and its modern shipping ambitions.
The MT Iyaloja (Lagos) commissioning represents a significant milestone in Nigeria’s efforts to establish itself as a dominant force in West African maritime energy transportation, promising enhanced connectivity across regional waterways while supporting the nation’s broader clean energy transition goals.
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