Oscarline Onwuemenyi
19 October 2016, 2016, Abuja – Crude traders are pushing Nigeria’s state oil company to lower the official price at which it sells some cargoes, the latest challenge to Africa’s biggest producer as it grapples with output that’s been restricted by militant attacks this year.
The General Manager of the crude oil marketing division at Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr. Mele Kyari, acknowledged in an interview in Abuja that five companies that market the nation’s crude have raised the issue of high official selling prices.
Buyers of Nigerian crude are concerned that uncertainty about supplies from the country are making the nation’s barrels harder to resell, traders familiar with the West African market said.
Kyari noted that “We are aware. We have received several communications with our off-takers on this. We are assessing the comments to either validate or disprove it because sometimes you can’t be sure of the validity of these claims.”
Kyari explained that the country needs every dollar it can get as it contends with a militant campaign that means annual output is currently on course to be the lowest since 1989, just as a global glut means futures are trading at less than half where they were two years ago. The nation’s oil minister said Monday that certain export restrictions will soon be lifted.
Off-takers
Nigeria sells cargoes at government-set official prices to buyers who are mandated to receive certain amounts of crude. Typically, most of those grades will be supplied within a $2 dollar range above or below key benchmarks that typically track futures markets. If traders can’t resell at the official price, they lose money. Failing to achieve the official price by a single dollar would mean a $1 million loss for a standard cargo.
At the same time, NNPC has to be careful to set the right prices, so that it retains companies in future years to market its exports.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Emmanuel Kachikwu told reporters in New Delhi on Monday that he anticipates the force majeure on all its key grades to be lifted by December. The measures were implemented when militant attacks caused supply disruption, giving sellers the right not to meet their contractual obligations.
He also said Nigeria is seeking $15 billion in advanced oil payments from India to help the African nation get through current cash flow problems.