The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has commenced the export of its new crude grade, Cawthorne Blend.
This marks a significant milestone in the company’s drive to increase Nigeria’s crude oil production and expand its portfolio of globally competitive export streams.
A statement by Andy Odeh, Chief Corporate Communications Officer, revealed that Cawthorne Blend, the latest addition to Nigeria’s basket of crude grades has an API gravity of 36.4.
This places it firmly within the light, sweet category, making it comparable to Bonny Light and highly valued in the global market for its superior petrol and diesel yields.
NNPC Ltd confirmed that the maiden 950,000-barrel cargo was loaded onto the vessel MT Eburones, headed for the Netherlands.
The shipment was exported via the Cawthorne Floating Storage and Offloading (FSO) vessel. Strategically located offshore Bonny, Rivers State, the FSO enhances crude evacuation from OML 18 and strengthens Nigeria’s export reliability, operational efficiency, and overall energy security.
The introduction of Cawthorne Blend to the international market underscores NNPC Ltd’s strategy to unlock value from its asset base, deepen market competitiveness, and support the presidential mandate of scaling crude oil production to three million barrels per day and gas output to 12 billion cubic feet per day by 2030.
The Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd, Bashir Bayo Ojulari commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s policy direction and sector reforms. He also praised the collaboration between OML 18 partners, the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), and other stakeholders.
Ojulari noted that NNPC Limited will continue to leverage innovation, strategic partnerships, and operational discipline to unlock the full value of Nigeria’s hydrocarbon resources while ensuring long-term energy security and economic growth.