Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG), and Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) in Bonny Island, Rivers State, have announced the kicked off of two-year ship building training programme at the NLNG-owned Bonny Vocational Centre (BVC).

Apapa port

About 120 young Nigerian technicians will acquire requisite competencies and skills in ship building, as part of the Nigerian content development agreement between Bonny Gas Transport Limited (BGT), a wholly-owned NLNG subsidiary, and HHI.

A statement from NLNG said the agreement is contained in the contract for the construction of two new LNG Carriers for BGT.

The programme was recently declared open by the General Manager for Shipping at NLNG, Capt. Temi Okesanjo, who was represented by Manager, Commercial Shipping, Capt. Hambali Yusuf.

Okesanjo was quoted as saying that, “This training is one of the deliverables set aside for local Content development which was discussed and agreed by all parties involved, i.e., the Nigerian Content Development Board, Bonny Gas Transport/Nigeria LNG, the respective shipyards and in this case Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI).

“These deliverables were firmed up in a memorandum of agreement (MOA) and we are delighted that this major achievement has been flagged off.”

Earlier, as part of the MOA, 60 technicians had departed Nigeria for South Korea on a three-month ship building programme, 28 of whom will stay back and join in the construction of the two new carriers. Another 20 technicians are currently being trained at International Energy Services Limited (IESL) in Lagos on a ship design programme. Seven of these will also participate in the construction of the new carriers.

Recall that BGT ordered six new vessels in 2013, at a cost of $1.6 billion from both Hyundai – two and Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) – four, to boost its shipping capacity.

As part of the agreement signed with the ship builders, 580 Nigerians will be trained in different aspects of ship building and construction in fulfillment of the Nigerian Content Development for the “BGT Plus Project”.

BGT, a subsidiary of NLNG, was established in 1989, to provide shipping capacity for NLNG projects. It owns 13 of the 23 vessels in the group’s fleet, by far the largest in Nigeria, which deliver liquefied natural gas (LNG) to customers spread across the world.

NLNG is the most significant arrow-head in the federal government’s quest to eliminate gas flaring, and derive value from the country’s 187 trillion cubic feet of proven gas reserves.

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%).