NPA to begin sulphur analysis for ships, sanction defaulters

By Seun Ibiyemi

The Honourable Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola has 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 during the week 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.”

Oyetola 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.