Mokpo — Angola State-owned oil company Sonangol received Monday in Mokpo City, South Korea, a new oil tanker baptised "Sonangol Kulumbimbi" built by Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries and which cost 68 million.

The oil tanker that has an average lifespan of 20 years will have a crew made up of 80 percent Angolans, with capacity to transport 1 million barrels of crude oil in line with international specifications.

The information was disclosed by the Sonangol's CEO, Sebastião Gaspar Martins at the end of the delivery ceremony, who underlined that revenues raised from other ships helped to invest in the purchase of the new oil tankers that have been priced at the same value, with the delivery of the second one scheduled for the end of 2023.

Martins considered it to be a profitable business, since the new oil tanker will sail around the world, fulfilling its commitments, with a crew trained by Sonangol in partnership with Indian experts.

José Barroso, secretary of State for Oil and Gas, on his turn, said the new vessel proves Sonangol's vision of taking advantage of the opening up of the market, adding that the purchase of the oil tanker is part of a strategy of the Angolan oil company to focus on the national and international market.

According to Barroso, Sonangol already has a contract to provide services for three years, thus representing an asset that can serve the LNG market and the Angolan economy in general.

Kulumbimbi, as the oil tanker has been baptised, is the first cathedral of the Catholic Church south of the Sahara located in Mbanza Congo City, northern Zaire Province. The city has been listed as a world heritage site by UNESCO.