Maritime expert, Captain Ladi Olubowale, is calling on the Nigerian government to use the UTM Offshore Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) Project as a catalyst for the country's maritime industrialization and economic transformation.

He argues that Nigeria's first indigenous-led FLNG project should go beyond gas exports to develop a robust local maritime value chain spanning shipping, marine logistics, vessel ownership, offshore engineering, and support services.

While acknowledging the project's role in monetizing stranded gas reserves and boosting LNG exports, Olubowale emphasizes that its long-term value lies in building indigenous maritime capacity.

He highlights that foreign firms still dominate offshore logistics, vessel chartering, engineering, and maintenance services, leading to significant capital flight.

The expert urges Nigeria to emulate countries like Norway, Qatar, and Singapore, which developed strong maritime industries alongside their oil and gas sectors through sustained investment in indigenous shipping, engineering, and maritime finance.

He also calls for the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF) to be repositioned to finance indigenous shipowners in commercially viable offshore projects, including the UTM FLNG Project.

Linking vessel financing to long-term offshore contracts would boost local ship ownership, create jobs for Nigerian seafarers, deepen local content, and conserve foreign exchange.

Olubowale advocates a national strategic fleet programme to support future FLNG and FPSO projects, positioning Nigeria as a maritime hub for the Gulf of Guinea and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).He urges key stakeholders to align the UTM FLNG Project with a national maritime development strategy.