Nigeria’s state oil company, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), is set to commence exports of a new light, sweet crude grade, Cawthorne, in March, as part of efforts to consolidate a recent recovery in oil production and enhance market competitiveness.
An NNPC spokesperson confirmed that the introduction of Cawthorne aligns with the government’s broader strategy to boost crude output, which has long been constrained by pipeline vandalism, crude theft, and unrest in the Niger Delta region.
The launch followed the recent rollout of two other crude grades Utapate in 2024 and Obodo in 2025 —aimed at diversifying Nigeria’s crude portfolio.
Cawthorne crude has an API gravity of 36.4, classifying it as a light, sweet crude similar to the widely traded Bonny Light.
Such grades are highly sought after in international markets for their high yields of premium products, including gasoline and diesel.
Market sources indicated that NNPC has issued a tender for cargoes scheduled to load between March 24 and 25.
Analysts at Kpler noted that exports would be conducted via the Floating Storage and Offloading (FSO) vessel Cawthorne, which has a storage capacity of 2.2 million barrels.
The vessel is designed to enhance crude evacuation and production from Oil Mining Lease (OML) 18 and surrounding assets in the Eastern Niger Delta.
Based on the storage and lifting capacity of the new crude stream, Kpler estimates that Nigeria’s combined crude and condensate output could rise from around 1.65 million barrels per day (bpd) to approximately 1.7 million bpd for the remainder of the year.
The country’s production has been steadily rebounding toward its OPEC+ quota of 1.5 million bpd, with January figures showing 1.48 million bpd.
Nigeria has also been advocating for a higher production ceiling within the OPEC+ alliance, citing improved operational stability and capacity restoration in the upstream sector.
The introduction of Cawthorne signals Nigeria’s determination to strengthen its position in global oil markets while addressing long-standing operational challenges in its upstream operations.
