Apapa port receives first LNG-powered ship

Apapa Port, Nigeria’s busiest seaport, has received the first liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered vessel to call at its harbour in Lagos.

On Tuesday, the Kota Oasis, a 260 metre-long containership, with a gross tonnage of 77,850 was received at APM Terminals in Apapa.

The vessel, owned by Pacific International Lines (PIL), a Singaporean shipping company, is part of a new generation of dual-fuel ships designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as global shipping leans towards environmentally friendly trade.

Kota Oasis is the first of PIL’s new “O” class vessels and one of only a handful of 8,200 TEUs globally built to run on both LNG and, eventually, bio-methane.

It will be the second LNG-powered ship to visit the state since the CMA CGM Scandola, which berthed at Lekki Port last year.

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For PIL, the arrival of Kota Oasis “shows how serious [they] are” about “long-term investment” in the West African region, according to Olawunmi Akinyemi, head of operations at PIL Nigeria.

Unlike ships, which normally call at West African ports, the vessel is fitted with Win-GD’s advanced X-DF engines featuring Intelligent Control by Exhaust Recycling (iCER), which reduces methane slip and helps lower the vessel’s environmental impact.

It is confirmed to emit virtually no sulfur oxides or particulate matter, and operates well within the International Maritime Organisation’s Tier III compliance.

Dhruv Kohli, Operations Lead for PIL West Africa, affirmed that the arrival underlined the company’s readiness to deploy cutting-edge maritime technology in the sub-region.

He said the dual-fuel engines are capable of using LNG, traditional fuel, and, eventually, ammonia, once it becomes a viable fuel option.

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Steen Knudsen, terminal manager at APM Terminals Apapa, noted that improved port operations, including faster turnaround times, help shipping lines conserve fuel and reduce emissions, even as terminal upgrades will enable Apapa to accommodate even larger vessels in the future.

At the NPA, where port generators are getting converted to compressed natural gas (CNG) and solar energy installed to conserve cost and go cleaner, Ibrahim Abdul, general manager for Health and Safety Executive at the Nigerian Ports Authority, called the berthing a step in the right direction.