The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.), in partnership with Sahara Group, Eroton Exploration & Production (E&P), and Bilton Energy Limited, has commissioned Nigeria’s first wholly owned Floating Storage and Offloading (FSO) vessel, with a storage capacity of 2.2 million barrels.
Named FSO Cawthorne, the facility represents Nigeria’s first new crude oil terminal in 50 years and is a major step toward strengthening the nation’s energy reliability, security, and sustainability.
The world-class FSO terminal is designed to enhance crude evacuation from Nigeria’s Oil Mining Lease (OML) 18 and nearby assets. The OML 18 joint venture partners include NNPC Ltd., Eroton E&P, OML Eighteen Energy Resource Ltd. (a Sahara Group company), and Bilton Limited.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, the Executive Vice President of Upstream, NNPC Ltd., Udobong Ntia—who represented the Group Chief Executive Officer, Bashir Ojulari—described the project as a “bold achievement” and a testament to the success of Nigeria’s public-private collaboration in the oil sector.
“This is another bold achievement from the partnership between NNPC and its JV partners that will guarantee seamless operations and bolster the strategic targets set by President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu towards ensuring optimised upstream production in Nigeria,” Ntia stated.
Industry experts say the FSO Cawthorne will play a key role in improving crude evacuation efficiency, reducing production downtime, and strengthening Nigeria’s position in the global oil market.
