Nigeria may soon resume oil export from the Forcados terminal

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Oil shipments form the Forcados terminal in Nigeria, that was shut in February, may soon be relaunched, Bloomberg reported on Friday, citing a person familiar with the matter. It says that Royal Dutch Shell, Axion Energy Argentina SA and Pampa Energia SA, operating the termainal, have bought about one million barrels of crude oil to deliver it to Argentine refineries they operate in late November.

Oilprice.com reminds that the Trans Forcados pipeline was attacked in February that caused Shell Petroleum Development Corporation, a subsidiary of Shell, to declare force majeure. The Nigerian terminal can export a maximum of 400,000 barrels per day, with average capacity at 200,000 bpd. The local authorities first planned to repair the pipeline by May, then it was postponed for June and September.

Earlier this week Shell has announced shutting down one of its two pipelines that carry Bonny light crude to the Forcados terminal in the Niger Delta. The company officials explain that a fire was detected “on the right of way” of the pipeline. The shut-down is expected reduce Shell’s export from the Nigerian terminal by 180,000 barrels per day.