Nigeria’s state-owned oil company, NNPC, has shipped its first cargo of a new light crude grade, Cawthorne, to the Netherlands, the company announced on Wednesday.
The export is part of NNPC’s strategy to boost production and diversify its export streams, as Nigeria works to increase output after years of underinvestment, oil theft, and operational disruptions.
About 950,000 barrels were loaded from the Cawthorne floating storage and offloading vessel (FSO) off Bonny in Rivers State, which supports output from Oil Mining Lease 18, NNPC said.
This launch comes after recent introductions of other crude grades, including Nembe and Utapate, as part of NNPC’s broader plan to expand Nigeria’s portfolio of exportable oil blends.
According to OPEC data, Nigeria produced around 1.4 million barrels per day in March, well below its production capacity. NNPC Chief Executive, Bashir Bayo Ojulari, said the Cawthorne export aligns with government targets to increase crude output to 3 million barrels per day by 2030.
