Nigeria Unveils New Cawthorne Crude, Boosting Output

Nigeria's national oil company, NNPC, is launching a new light, sweet crude grade named Cawthorne for export starting in March 2026. This initiative is part of Nigeria's strategy to increase its oil production, which has faced challenges from unrest and theft. The introduction of Cawthorne follows the launch of two other new grades in recent years.

The Cawthorne crude possesses an API gravity of 36.4, similar in quality to Nigeria's Bonny Light, known for its high yields of gasoline and diesel. This new grade is anticipated to be exported using the Floating Storage and Offloading vessel Cawthorne, with a capacity of 2.2 million barrels. Analysts suggest this could lift Nigeria's daily crude and condensate supply to approximately 1.7 million barrels per day.