Pacific International Lines (PIL) christened its new 8,200 TEU dual-fuel liquefied natural gas (LNG) container ship at the port of Tema, Ghana. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, Vice President of the Republic of Ghana, served as the ship’s godmother.
This refers to the Neo Panamax vessel which was named Kota Odyssey, measuring 260 meters in length, 46 meters in width, and registered under the Singapore flag.
As reported, the vessel will operate on PIL’s South West Africa (SWS) service, connecting China, Singapore, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, and Côte d’Ivoire via a direct weekly route. “This strengthens trade flows between Asia and West Africa and reinforces Ghana’s role as a strategic logistics hub,” the shipping line remarked.
Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, Vice President of the Republic of Ghana, commented that “this ceremony is a celebration of maritime innovation and a testament to Ghana’s growing prestige in regional trade and logistics. It is a sign of the long-standing and ever-growing relationship between Ghana and Singapore. We therefore appreciate PIL highlighting our bilateral relationship by creating jobs and supporting the development of local talent. We look forward to even greater collaborations between Ghana and Singapore.”
Lars Kastrup, CEO of PIL, stated that “christening this ship in Ghana reflects our deep-rooted presence and growing level of investment in the country. Ghana plays a vital role in our network, not only as a key gateway to West Africa, but also as a strategic hub for regional connectivity and inland transportation. As we continue to develop our operations here, we maintain our focus on delivering integrated and sustainable transportation and logistics solutions that respond to the changing needs of Ghana and the African trade landscape as a whole.”
PIL has been operating in Africa since the 1970s and currently serves more than 30 African countries, with seven weekly services and a feeder network connecting over 40 ports. Ghana hosts PIL’s regional office for West Africa and is a gateway for overland transportation to Burkina Faso.
“PIL also invests in the development of local talent, with around 100 Ghanaian seafarers currently serving on its fleet. In Ghana, PIL’s operations are fully powered by renewable energy, backed by Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) sourced locally,” the company noted.
“This christening ceremony reaffirms PIL’s commitment to delivering resilient, sustainable, and inclusive transportation and logistics solutions across Africa and beyond,” it concluded.
