The NLNG Ship Management Limited (NSML), which manages vessels belonging to the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG), says it does not repair the ships in Nigeria due to inadequate facilities.
The Managing Director, NSML, Abdul-Kadir Ahmed, revealed this when he briefed newsmen in Lagos at the weekend.
Ahmed said because all ships in the fleet of NLNG plied international waters, it must carry out its dry-docking of its vessels in a facility that is accepted by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).
“In line with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) regulation, every vessel must undergo dry-docking once every three years to retain their safety classification and insurance cover. It costs between $300,000 and $500,000 to dry-dock a vessel, according to prevailing international rates.
“NMSL would have wanted to dry-dock its 11 LNG vessels and one LPG vessel in Nigeria due to the huge revenue such would generate for the country, but for lack of dry-docking facility that can handle an LNG vessel in the country, the company is forced to dry-dock her vessels outside the country.”
He, however, said NSML plans to create dry-docking facilities in Nigeria to end the capital flight.
“As part of our Bonny Gas Transport (BGT) Plus Project, there was a scheme to bring in Samsung and Hyundai together with some Nigerian investors to establish a dry-docking facility in Nigeria.
“Unfortunately, the scheme has not fully taken off, but we are still optimistic. We hope that when it fully takes off, it will commence effectively at the right standard,” said Ahmed.
