Nigerian National Petroleum Company Exports Cawthorne Crude

The NNPC (NNPC) Limited has commenced the export of a new crude grade, Cawthorne Blend Crude, with its maiden cargo of 950,000 barrels shipped to the Netherlands aboard the MT Eburones vessel on April 5, 2026. This development marks a significant milestone in NNPC's strategy to increase Nigeria's crude oil production and expand its portfolio of globally competitive export streams. The Cawthorne Blend Crude, characterized as light and sweet with an API gravity of 36.4, is comparable to Bonny Light oil and is highly valued for its superior petrol and diesel yields. The export was facilitated via the Cawthorne Floating Storage and Offloading vessel, located offshore Bonny, Rivers State, which is expected to enhance crude evacuation from OML 18 and improve export efficiency. This initiative is part of Nigeria's broader energy strategy to ramp up crude production to three million barrels per day and gas output to 12 billion cubic feet per day by 2030. Group Chief Executive Officer Bashir Bayo Ojulari and spokesperson Andy Odeh highlighted that this achievement reflects NNPC's focus on execution, partnership, and value creation, crediting President Bola Tinubu's policy direction and collaboration with the Nigeria — Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission and other stakeholders.