Shipments of Nigeria’s Bonny Light crude, one of the country’s major sources of oil revenue, are experiencing delays in loading, although the reason was not immediately clear, several trading sources told Reuters, Thursday.
Several traders said cargoes of oil from the Bonny Light stream, for which exports are expected to reach around 195,000 barrels per day in June, had been delayed by a few days up to about a week.
Royal Dutch Shell, which is responsible for Bonny shipments, was not available for immediate comment.
Nigerian crude shipments are already witnessing delays following a leak on the 200-240,000 bpd Trans-Forcados pipeline that shut down earlier this week, effectively cutting deliveries of Forcados, the country’s largest crude grade.
Although the terminal operator Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), a Royal Dutch Shell subsidiary, and pipeline operator Heritage Oil declined to comment, trading sources said that loadings were delayed by at least a week.
The Trans-Forcados pipeline is the major trunk line in the Forcados Pipeline System. It is also the second largest network in the Niger Delta after the Bonny Oil Pipeline System.
Some of the companies affected by the shutdown include the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc, Shoreline Natural Resources, among others.
