The President of the Republic, Filipe Nyusi, yesterday compared the first export of gas from the Rovuma to a successful birth, during the inauguration of the Coral Sul floating liquefaction platform.

"On the 13th, we were all waiting. I was talking to Minister Zacarias [of Mineral Resources] all the time, as if I were with a mother in the maternity ward waiting to give birth. And the parents, husband, children, siblings, everyone was nervous, but everything worked out," she said.

The head of state was speaking on his first visit to the platform operated by the Eni oil company, which 10 days ago filled its first cargo ship with liquefied natural gas (LNG), placing Mozambique in the club of exporting countries.

The emotional comparisons didn't stop there.

Earlier, when visiting the platform's control room, Filipe Nyusi, quoted by Lusa, compared the arrival of the first vessel to a wedding, when he heard an operator explain that the docking operation of the LNG freighter took time, because everything had to go perfectly - and the head of state recalled that the groom always has to wait a while for the bride.

The President of the Republic also called Coral Sul a "baby", recalling that she was baptized by the first lady, Isaura Nyusi, a year ago at the shipyards in Geoje, South Korea.

Isaura Nyusi was unable to travel to the infrastructure today, but promised a visit for another time.

The baby has grown and today has 321 employees, 80 of whom are Mozambican.

"This project is an example of inclusivity. We have more than 30 nationalities," said Guido Brusco, Eni's Director of Natural Resources Operations, who welcomed Nyusi and accompanied him on a guided tour of the facilities.

There are many nationalities, but the head of the oil company says he is most proud "to see many Mozambican colleagues explaining [to the President] how the platform works".

The export of gas is not the only proof that the platform is a reality: so is the training of human capital, said Elisabeth Cambaco, a young woman from Pemba who is an environmental engineer on board the Coral Sul.

"The project is a reality, yes, and we young people are proof of that. We are being trained and guided" and "we will be able to train future generations", he stressed.

This ambition was applauded by the Mozambican President, who reaffirmed the need for young people in the country to be qualified.

The Coral South gas extraction and liquefaction platform is the first in deep waters and the first project of its kind to be developed in Africa.

Production (3.4 million tons of natural gas per year) takes place within Mozambique's Area 4 and is sold to BP for 20 years.

The platform has storage tanks on the hull and 13 modules above them, including a liquefaction plant, an eight-story module where 350 people can live, and a runway for helicopters.

Area 4 is operated by Mozambique Rovuma Venture (MRV), a joint venture co-owned by ExxonMobil, Eni and CNPC (China), which holds a 70% participating interest in the concession contract.

Galp, KOGAS (South Korea) and Empresa Nacional de Hidrocarbonetos (Mozambique) each hold stakes of 10%.