26 July 2013, Lagos – Nigeria will export 63 cargoes of crude oil, totaling 58.2 million barrels or 1.94 barrels per day for the month of September 2013, according to data obtained from Bloomberg.
With cargoes ranging in size from 250,000 to one million barrels, the report said this will keep Nigeria’s daily crude exports for September little changed from August, and will cover 17 grades excluding Bonny Light.
Breakdown of the crude export loading programme shows that the country will ship 12 consignments of Qua Iboe grade, seven of Agbami, five each of Brass, Akpo, Bonga and Forcados, four of Usan, three each of Amenam, Erha, Escravos and Antan, two each of Yoho and Okono, and one each of Abo, EA, Okwori and Pennington.
Traders with knowledge of the loading program, however stated that i remains unclear whether Nigeria will export Bonny Light in September, especially as no shipments for this grade were planned for August.
Royal Dutch Shell Plc declared force majeure on exports of Bonny Light after closing the Nembe Creek Trunkline on April 15 to remove connections oil thieves used on the pipeline. Force majeure is a legal step that protects a company from liability when it can’t fulfill a contract for reasons beyond its control.
Loading programs are monthly schedules of crude shipments compiled by field operators to allow buyers and sellers to plan their supply and trading activities.