Nigeria’s state oil firm, Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), is set to begin exporting a new light, sweet crude grade known as Cawthorne from March, in a move aimed at strengthening output and consolidating a recent recovery in production.
An NNPC spokesperson confirmed the development, noting that the introduction of Cawthorne forms part of Nigeria’s broader strategy to boost crude production, which has for years been constrained by pipeline vandalism, crude theft and unrest in producing regions. The launch follows the rollout of two other grades — Obodo in 2025 and Utapate in 2024 — as Africa’s top oil exporter seeks to expand its portfolio and enhance market competitiveness.
Cawthorne crude, scheduled for export in the third week of March, has an API gravity of 36.4, placing it in the category of light, sweet crudes similar to Bonny Light. Such grades are highly valued in international markets due to their high yields of premium products such as gasoline and diesel.
According to market sources, NNPC has already issued a tender for cargoes loading between March 24 and 25. Analysts at Kpler noted that the crude is expected to be exported via the Floating Storage and Offloading (FSO) vessel Cawthorne, which has a storage capacity of 2.2 million barrels. The vessel is designed to improve crude evacuation and production from Oil Mining Lease (OML) 18 and surrounding assets in the Eastern Niger Delta.
Kpler estimates that, based on storage and lifting capacity, the new stream could raise Nigeria’s combined crude and condensate output from around 1.65 million barrels per day (bpd) to approximately 1.7 million bpd for the remainder of the year.
Nigeria’s crude production has been gradually rebounding toward its OPEC+ quota of 1.5 million bpd. According to OPEC data, the country pumped 1.48 million bpd in January, placing it close to its assigned target. Abuja is among the member nations seeking a higher production ceiling within the producers’ alliance, citing improved output stability and capacity restoration efforts.
The addition of Cawthorne crude signals Nigeria’s determination to strengthen its position in global oil markets while addressing long-standing operational challenges in its upstream sector.
Melissa Enoch
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