Sahara Upstream has deployed a 380,000-barrel tanker to strengthen crude oil evacuation from Nigeria’s OML 18 oil field as the company targets an increase in production from 36,000 barrels per day to 60,000 barrels per day.
The new MT D Adesanya medium-range tanker has joined the MT B Bayero at Bonny Anchorage, where it will receive crude from shuttle vessels before transferring the cargo to the 2.2-million-barrel Cawthorne floating storage facility.
Sahara Group said the additional evacuation capacity is expected to reduce crude transfer turnaround times by up to 30–40 hours and increase monthly exports by about 50%, from approximately 950,000 barrels to more than 1.5 million barrels.
Chief Value Officer of Sahara Upstream, Dr Tosin Etomi, said the deployment would strengthen the infrastructure needed to support sustainable production growth.
He said improved crude evacuation capacity would enhance operational reliability and efficiency while providing flexibility for increased production volumes.
OML 18 targets higher production
The development forms part of Sahara Upstream’s efforts to improve operations at OML 18, an oil and gas asset covering approximately 1,035 square kilometres in the Eastern Niger Delta.
The block contains an estimated 1.5 billion barrels of oil equivalent across 10 oil and gas fields, with production concentrated in five fields.
Production at OML 18 began in 1970, making it one of the Niger Delta’s oldest producing assets.
Sahara Group holds a 16.2% participating interest in the block through its subsidiary, Sahara Field Production.
The joint venture operating OML 18 comprises the Nigerian National Petroleum Company, Eroton Exploration and Production, Bilton Energy and Sahara Group.
New tanker to support export growth
Sahara Upstream said the MT D Adesanya will complement existing crude evacuation infrastructure and help address operational requirements as production increases.
The company said strengthening evacuation capacity is critical to improving efficiency and ensuring that increased crude production can be moved reliably to export facilities.
The deployment comes as Sahara Upstream seeks to raise production and increase export volumes from the OML 18 asset.