Anglo-Dutch oil firm Shell is testing the Trans Forcados crude export pipeline in Nigeria to check the possibility of restarting the activities at the infrastructure, Reuters reported.
Ecofin Agency informed that the Astro Perseus tanker is expected to load the first cargo by mid-May. However, the loading process won’t be executed until the tests are finalized and the results are revealed.
The pipeline shutdown was due to the bombing incident that occurred in February 2016 by militant’s attacks. In October, exports from the pipeline continued after a series of repairs, but another attack in November stopped the work in the pipeline again.
Prior to the attacks, Trans Forcados used to produce between 200,000b/d and 240,000b/d.
The pipeline’s reopening is expected to aid the government in achieving its production target for 2017.
In related news, Nigeria’s crude oil production has increased from 1.2mb/d to 2mb/d. The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation’s (NNPC) Managing Director, Maikanti Baru, noted that the boost in production came in line with the federal government’s plan to increase the Nigerian crude oil output to 3mb/d in the near future.
