Published on 22 Oct 2025

Singapore firm wins LNG vessel towing contract in the Republic of Congo

The project comes as Singapore’s involvement in African oil and gas sector grows

Photo source: Eni

Singapore-based firms are expanding their presence in Africa’s oil and gas industry. Among the latest is marine solutions firm PACC Offshore Services Holdings (POSH), which has won a contract to tow a floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facility from China to the Republic of Congo (not to be confused with the much larger and better-known neighbour DRC). The vessel will be deployed as part of the second phase of the Congo LNG project, developed by Italian energy group Eni, to liquefy the country’s offshore gas reserves for export.

POSH was appointed by Wilson New Energies of China to transport the vessel, known as Nguya. It will be moored about 50km offshore from Pointe-Noire, the country’s main oil hub. Wilson New Energies is overseeing the design, construction and installation of Eni’s new FLNG facility

The oil and gas sector is the backbone of the Republic of Congo’s economy, accounting for about 50% of GDP and over 80% of export revenues. The country is sub-Saharan Africa’s third-largest crude oil producer, with most of its fields lying offshore. While the oil industry is long established, Congo has recently stepped-up investment in natural gas, aiming to become a significant exporter of LNG.

The Congo project adds to POSH’s growing track record in Africa. Earlier this year, the company completed the transoceanic tow of the Agogo floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel from China to Angola. FPSOs process and store oil or gas from undersea wells before transferring the output to tankers or pipelines. POSH has also previously provided a range of marine support services at Angolan ports, including crew handling, spares delivery and bunker fuel supply.

Singapore firms have carried out major oil and gas projects across Africa in recent years. Seatrium, an engineering firm specialising in offshore hydrocarbon vessels, secured a contract to build a floating storage regasification unit (FSRU) for deployment in Egypt, to support the country’s natural gas imports. FSRUs are used to store LNG at sea and convert it back into gas for delivery through onshore pipelines.

Singapore-based MODEC Offshore Production Systems, a subsidiary of Japan’s MODEC, supplied the Léopold Sédar Senghor FPSO vessel for Senegal’s Sangomar oilfield, which began production last year. MODEC also operates and maintains the facility.

Singaporean involvement extends to the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim offshore gas project, a cross-border development between Senegal and Mauritania. Seatrium converted an end-of-life LNG tanker into the Gimi, a FLNG vessel that will liquefy gas from offshore fields. Further south, shipbuilder Strategic Marine earlier this year commissioned three offshore supply vessels for a national oil company in southern Africa. The vessels are used to transport personnel to offshore platforms and FPSOs.

Enterprise Singapore, the government agency that supports the international expansion of local businesses, sees strong prospects for Singaporean participation across Africa’s oil and gas value chain. Following an industry roundtable last year, the agency highlighted opportunities in areas such as front-end engineering design, offshore asset and vessel construction, maintenance and repair, vessel chartering, subsea equipment supply, oil spill response, environmental management and workforce training.

References

'GAC Angola renews ship agency contract with POSH Semco', GAC Group, 19 July 2018

‘Keppel O&M awarded floating production contracts worth around S$75 million’, Keppel, 01 August 2022

‘Sangomar FPSO relocating to Singapore’, Offshore, 30 November 2022

‘Seatrium delivers world’s second floating liquefaction vessel conversion for sustainable LNG production’, Seatrium Limited, 20 November 2023

‘MODEC congratulates Senegal and Woodside on first oil at Sangomar Field Development Phase 1’, MODEC, 12 June 2024

'LinkedIn post', EnterpriseSG - Africa, November 2024

‘Three new offshore supply vessels commissioned for Southern African oil company’, Engineering News, 19 January 2025

‘Höegh Evi signs FSRU charter with EGAS, supporting Egypt's role as energy hub in the Middle East’, Oil and Gas Online, 12 May 2025

‘Seatrium secures FSRU conversion contract from Hoegh Evi, Norway’, Seatrium, 13 May 2025

‘POSH successfully completes transoceanic tow of Agogo FPSO with a fleet of AHTS’, PACC Offshore Services Holdings, 29 May 2025

'POSH to tow the Nguya FLNG from China to the Republic of Congo', PACC Offshore Services Holdings, 12 September 2025