The wife of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Mrs Aisha Buhari, recently christened a new ship, LNG Abuja II, owned by Bonny Gas Transport (BGT), a subsidiary of Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG), in her capacity as the vessel’s Godmother.
At a ceremony in Goeje, South Korea, Mrs Buhari and top executives and directors of NLNG and BGT conducted the ceremonial ship naming of the 175,000m3 ship which will carry LNG from NLNG’s Bonny Terminal to customers around the world.
LNG Abuja II is the fifth ship to be commissioned of the six newly acquired vessels by NLNG. It is also the third ship by Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI). In 2013, BGT signed a contract with SHI and Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) for the construction and delivery of four and two ships respectively.
Mrs Buhari said “It was with great delight that I received the invitation of the Management of Nigeria LNG Limited to be the God mother of and commission this magnificent new vessel; one of five recently purchased.
“The new ships I learn are part of a growth programme which will ensure that NLNG continues to develop its capacity and enhance it’s reputation as one of the most reliable Gas suppliers in the world. I am therefore very pleased to be the new ship’s Sponsor Lady and Godmother. By tradition, the Sponsor Lady bestows good luck on the vessel and the crew, and I wish to assure you all, that this vessel will go out into the world, proudly flying Nigeria’s flag and be an enduring symbol of the partnership and cooperation between our two countries for many years to come,” she added.
In his opening speech, Babs Omotowa, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NLNG, said “As we take possession of this great ship, we can reflect on the double symbolism of today’s event. Our country and the LNG business are both experiencing some difficult times. It is altogether fitting and symbolic that our country and our company are by this ceremony reaffirming our faith and confidence in a bright and prosperous future for our country as well as our industry. This new vessel bearing the name of Nigeria’s capital city is a sign of that confidence and that is what this ceremony represents for us.
“We take pride in the fact that LNG Abuja II is truly Nigerian. Based on Nigeria LNG’s local content aspirations, we have become the first Nigerian company to incorporate unique local content component into the construction of our vessels. Courtesy of this local content programme, over 600 young Nigerians acquired specialised skills in shipbuilding.
“Some of them participated in the building of the vessels here in South Korea. Furthermore the cables, anodes, furniture and paints used in building this ship were made in Nigeria. Nigerian manufacturers earned over $10 million exporting materials for this and her sister ships, he said.
LNG Abuja II is 293 metres long and has a breath of 48 metres. The classification society for her is Bureau Veritas (BV) and the Port of Register is Hamilton, Bermuda.
The ceremony was witnessed by Mrs Mairo Almakura, wife of Nasarawa State governor; Mrs Olufunsho Amosun, wife of Ogun State governor; Mrs Zainab Bagudu, wife of Kebbi State governor; Mrs Nkechi Okorocha, wife of Imo State governor; Dr Osobonye LongJohn, Chairman, NLNG Board of Directors; and Isa Inuwa, Deputy Managing Director, NLNG.
NLNG is owned by four shareholders, namely, the Federal Government of Nigeria, represented by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC (49%), Shell Gas BV, SGBV, (25.6%), Total LNG Nigeria Limited (15%), and Eni International (N.A,) N. V. S. a. r. l (10.4%).