August 19, (THEWILL) — President Bola Tinubu has commissioned a 40,000 cubic metre Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) vessel owned by WAGL Energy Limited, a joint venture between the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) and Sahara Group, in Ulsan, South Korea.
The vessel, christened MT Iyaloja (Lagos), is a dual-fuel, fully refrigerated LPG carrier. With its addition, WAGL’s fleet now has a combined capacity of 162,000 CBM, comprising MT Africa Gas, MT Sahara Gas, MT BaruMK, and MT Sapet.
Represented by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, Tinubu commended NNPC Ltd. and Sahara Group for their strategic foresight and technical excellence, noting that the project underscores Nigeria’s determination to strengthen Africa’s role in the global clean energy transition.
He assured that his administration remains committed to delivering clean and sustainable energy solutions.
Sahara Group spokesperson, Bethel Obioma, said the commissioning reinforces the company’s drive to expand LPG storage and distribution infrastructure across Africa to tackle challenges around energy access, affordability, and security.
The Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd., Bashir Ojulari, represented by the Executive Vice President, Gas, Power & New Energy, Olalekan Ogunleye, described the vessel as a significant boost to Nigeria’s gas development programme.
He said the vessel will be crucial in enhancing the availability and affordability of LPG nationwide, while supporting Nigeria’s economic development.
“NNPC Ltd. is proud to be a major shareholder in this indigenous company, which, in addition to the newly commissioned MT Iyaloja (Lagos), owns four other LPG vessels in its growing fleet, delivering over six million metric tonnes of LPG across West Africa in the last five years,” Ojulari said.
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