By Isaac Anyaogu
LAGOS (Reuters) -Nigeria has commissioned its first wholly owned Floating Storage and Offloading vessel near its Bonny export terminal, one of the companies which developed it said, as Africa’s biggest oil producer seeks to improve its crude export infrastructure.
The 2.2-million-barrel capacity FSO aims to boost crude oil transportation and production from Oil Mining Lease 18 and surrounding assets in the country’s Eastern Niger Delta. It is also expected to reduce reliance on pipelines and mitigate risks associated with oil theft and vandalism.
The FSO Cawthorne was developed by Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd – which holds a 55% interest in OML 18 – Sahara Group, Eroton Exploration & Production, and Bilton Energy. Sahara Energy said in a statement that it is stationed offshore Bonny – the export point for Nigeria’s high-grade Bonny Light crude oil.
Tosin Etomi, head of commercial and planning at Asharami Energy, a Sahara Group company, said the vessel would help reduce carbon exposure from barge movements and enhance evacuation safety.
The double-hull vessel, converted from a Very Large Crude Carrier, is designed to receive, store, and offload crude oil to export tankers, addressing long-standing logistical constraints such as limited barge capacity, siltation at berthing slots and delays in ship-to-ship transfers.
It is expected to support OML 18’s 2025 production target of 50,000 barrels per day.
(Writing by Chijioke Ohuocha; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
