The Honourable Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, on Monday said that the Federal Government has taken concrete steps towards the procurement of necessary tools to enhance the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) capacity for Sulphur analysis as well as put in place a sanction regime for vessels who contravene the Sulphur regulations.
Speaking on Tuesday when the CMA CGM Scandola, the largest Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) vessel to visit any Nigerian ports, called at Lekki Deep seaport, the Minister who was represented by the Managing Director of the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), Mohammed Bello Koko, commended Lekki Deep Seaport’s eco-friendly measures which aligns with global efforts to reduce carbon intensity in international shipping.
According to the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, “To put action behind our words, we have taken concrete steps towards the procurement of necessary tools to enhance NPA’s capacity for sulphur analysis as well as put in place a sanction regime for vessels who contravene the sulphur regulations.
“So transition to the use of natural gas which is more environmentally friendly by vessels plying our waterways is a most welcome development. This is driven by the larger national interest due to the fact that Nigeria’s gas quality is reputed to be high and virtually without sulphur.
“The Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy is convinced that shipping has a pivotal role to play in global decarbonisation efforts. This is why I will like to seize this moment to commend the management of the NPA’s compliance with the Ministerial directive to take cognizance of global energy transition in its port modernization project by deliberately factoring in measures that promote energy efficiency,”
The former Osun State Governor added that aside from the vessel’s distinctive feature of eco-friendliness, ‘Scandola’ ranks amongst the largest container ships to be called in West Africa with 15,000 twenty equivalent-units.
He said that with shipping volumes promising to get higher, forward looking investments such as the one we are gathered here to celebrate will certainly have a big impact in the long run.
Earlier in his own speech, the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu affirmed the accomplishment of Lekki Port in welcoming the largest LNG-powered container vessel, CMA CGM SCANDOLA.
The Governor emphasized the transformative role of Lekki Port, traditionally a privilege reserved for developed nations, in putting Lagos and Nigeria on the map of global port transactions.
He underscored the need for expanded infrastructure, applauding the choice of Lekki as a home for Lekki Deep Port.
The Governor further said that the vision for the state is to extend beyond the current achievement, envisioning Lagos as a pivotal hub not only for West Africa but for Central and potentially South Africa in the realm of logistics and container terminals.
He reiterated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s economic goals, emphasizing the crucial role of maritime and port business in driving the nation towards a $1 trillion economy by 2030.
