The Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mohammed Bello-Koko, has said the fact that the MV Great Lagos vessel is technologically equipped to reduce CO2 emissions signposts the seriousness of Nigeria’s commitment to the dictates of the 2023 International Maritime Organization (IMO) Green House Gas (GHG) Strategy.
Speaking with the Nigerian Tribune during the arrival of the largest ever Container-RORO Ship to Nigerian waters, Grimaldi’s MV Great Lagos, the NPA managing director said that very soon, the authority would have zero-tolerance for non-compliance to IMO’s Green House Gas emission strategy by shipping stakeholders.
According to Bello-Koko, “On behalf of all of us at the Nigerian Ports Authority, I will like to congratulate and commend the Grimaldi Group for this landmark acquisition.
“Apart from the high loading capacity and several other distinctive features of this vessel, we are fascinated by the great attention to environmental impact that was infused into its construction.
“The very fact that this G5-class vessel is technologically equipped to reduce CO2 emissions per transported tonne up to 43 percent ahead of previous classifications gives us great delight as it signposts the seriousness of Nigeria’s commitment to the dictates of the 2023 International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Green House Gas (GHG) Strategy, which envisages a reduction in carbon intensity of international shipping by at least 40 percent by the year 2030.
“Let me seize this moment to reiterate that the Authority’s port modernisation project and ongoing reform initiatives around our port operations is cognisant of the impact of global energy transition and we have deliberately factored in measures that promote energy efficiency. This means that we would have zero-tolerance for non-compliance by our stakeholders.
“Coming immediately after the launch of its sister ship “Great Antwerp, the christening of this vessel ‘Great Lagos’ symbolises the fact that the Nigerian business environment is progressively getting better.
“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.
“So I want to assure you that the Authority will continue to galvanise stakeholder’s efforts to continuously promote the ease of doing business, all in a concerted bid to optimise the rich blue economy inherent in our maritime endowments.”
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