The feat, the first to be achieved by any energy company in Africa, goes a long way to diversify and strengthen the operations of the company.

This was revealed by the Managing Director of WAGL, Mr Roland Omoreegbe, when officials of the company and the media toured the facility on March 24, 2017.

Ordered at the Hyundai Mipo Shipyard in May 2014, the LPG ship is the first of two vessels ordered by WAGL and is designed to transport Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). 

Named MT Africa Gas at its commissioning in Korea recently, the ship makes its first port call to the Tema Port in Ghana from its maiden voyage from Hyundai Mipo Dockyard in South Korea.  

The other ship, MT Sahara Gas, is expected to arrive in West Africa in the coming weeks. 

Sharing his thoughts on this new milestone achieved by WAGL, Mr Omoreegbe said he believed that the acquisition of the vessel would help in actualising the vision of the company to be the foremost gas company on the continent. 

According to him, its decision to acquire these vessels demonstrates clearly its commitment to serve the energy needs of all classes of consumers in Africa and beyond.

“This strategic investment is very crucial and underscores our commitment to meeting energy needs across the continent and indeed globally,” he stated.

Agreement with government

WAGL, an energy company owned by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), and Oceanbed (a member of the Sahara Group) currently has a Gas Sale Agreement with the Government of Ghana for the supply of 180,000 standard cubic feet of gas even as construction works at the Tema Port to receive first gas for the thermal plants in the Tema energy enclave is underway. 

The WAGL proposition includes the construction of a jetty, dredging of a channel within the ports and extension of the breakwater as well as other relevant facilities to receive gas from their Floating Storage Re-gasification Unit (FSRU) MT Golar Tundra, which is currently anchored approximately 4 Nautical Miles offshore Tema.