COTONOU, Aug 21 (Reuters) – Niger has resumed its crude oil exports through Benin following a resolution of a dispute that had halted oil flow through a Chinese-funded pipeline to the West African coast.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The disruption began in May when Benin blocked exports in response to Niger’s refusal to lift a ban on imported goods from its coastal neighbor.
The West African Gas Pipeline Company (Wapco), which operates the PetroChina-backed pipeline, confirmed on Wednesday that the Liberian-flagged crude oil tanker Aura M had loaded approximately one million barrels of oil from Niger at Benin’s port on Tuesday.
Ship tracking data from MarineTraffic showed the vessel departed the port that afternoon, destined for China with an expected arrival on October 10.
The 2,000 km (1,243 miles) pipeline, which has a capacity of 90,000 barrels per day, began operating earlier this year, transporting oil from Niger’s Agadem oilfield to Benin’s coast.
The dispute stemmed from political tensions within the West African regional bloc ECOWAS, which had imposed sanctions on Niger last year. While ECOWAS later lifted these sanctions, Niger did not allow imports from Benin, leading to the blockade of oil exports. It remains unclear how the conflict was resolved, but oil exports have now resumed.
Niger’s crude exports through the pipeline are part of a $400 million deal with China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC). The pipeline had previously been sabotaged in June by a Nigerien anti-government rebel group, causing minor damage.
