ABUJA: A new Nigerian crude export grade has emerged in the past few months as Africa’s biggest oil producer struggles to overcome the impact of militant attacks on one of the country’s key crude blends in the Niger Delta. Called Forcados Light, the new crude is independent of the regular export grade, Forcados Blend, and is being shipped via a terminal at the country’s 125,000 b/d Warri refinery.
Loadings of the popular export grade Forcados, also commonly known as Forcados Blend, are normally carried out through the Shell-operated Forcados terminal in the Niger Delta. But they have been out for several months over the past year due to attacks in February and November leading to a declaration of force majeure on deliveries. Forcados exports resumed briefly at the end of September and in October until an attack in early-November on the Trans-Forcados Pipeline halted deliveries again. Forcados, a gasoil-rich, sweet crude blend, is one of Nigeria’s top export crudes averaging some 250,000 b/d of output.
The crude for the new grade comes from OMLs 4, 38 and 41 in the Delta State, operated by indigenous producer Seplat Petroleum. The company confirmed that crude is being sent from these fields via a 100,000 b/d pipeline to available storage tanks at the Warri refinery and sold on a FOB basis to Seplat’s offtaker, Mercuria, at the plant’s jetty.
