By: Logistics manager

Pacific International Lines (PIL) has marked a milestone in its African service with the inaugural call of its new LNG dual-fuel vessel, Kota Oasis, at Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. The 8,200 TEU container ship, the largest ever deployed by PIL on its South West Africa Service (SWS) route, arrived on June 26, concluding its first voyage to the continent.

To commemorate the event, the company held a celebration onboard for 20 local stakeholders, including representatives from the port authority and terminal operator Abidjan Terminal, as well as customers from the agricultural sector.

Increased Capacity and Greener Fleet

The deployment of the Kota Oasis represents an upgrade to the SWS route, which directly connects China and Singapore to West Africa. The vessel, PIL’s first “O”-Class ship, is part of the company’s efforts to provide a more sustainable shipping solution to the region. The upgrade follows an earlier enhancement in 2024 that saw the introduction of 7,000 TEU vessels to the service.

The larger and more environmentally friendly vessel reflects PIL’s long-standing presence in Africa, a market it has served since the 1970s. The company is focused on providing increased capacity and cleaner logistics solutions to meet regional demand.