Yemisi Izuora With Agency Report
A cargo of crude oil has sailed from Nigeria’s Bonga terminal for the first time since mid-January as operator Shell ramps up production, according to oil analytics firm Vortexa.
The Suezmax Narmada Spirit left the terminal with a 1 million barrel cargo and is expected to sail to the Mediterranean, according to Vortexa.
The last cargo to leave the terminal, the Sea Garnet, departed on January 17 and discharged at Fos Sur Mer in France.
Bonga operator Shell Nigeria said production was gradually increasing after a “brief shutdown” from January 16-28 for repairs on a piping system.
Another Suezmax, the Arctic, is set to begin loading at the Bonga terminal today and is also expected to sail to Europe.
Bonga has a capacity to produce 225,000 barrels per day (bpd) of oil and 150 million standard cubic feet (scf) of gas.