Nigeria’s state oil firm NNPC will begin exporting a new light, sweet crude grade known as Cawthorne from March, as the country continues efforts to strengthen output and stabilise supply.
An NNPC spokesperson confirmed the development, saying the launch is part of Nigeria’s broader push to lift production, which has long been constrained by unrest and crude theft. The move follows the introduction of two other new grades since 2024. Nigeria, already pumping close to its OPEC quota, is among the countries seeking a higher production target within the producer group.
Cawthorne crude is scheduled to be exported in the third week of March, according to a source familiar with the matter. The grade has an API gravity of 36.4, making it similar in quality to Nigeria’s Bonny Light, which is valued for its high yields of gasoline and diesel.
A trader said NNPC last week issued a tender for Cawthorne for March 24-25.
Analysts at Kpler said in a note that the grade is expected to be exported through the Floating Storage and Offloading vessel Cawthorne. The vessel has a storage capacity of 2.2 million barrels and is designed to boost crude oil transportation and production from Oil Mining Lease 18 and surrounding assets in the Eastern Niger Delta.
Kpler analysts stated that, based on the vessel’s storage constraints, Cawthorne could lift Nigeria’s crude and condensate supply from about 1.65 million barrels per day to around 1.7 million bpd for the rest of the year.
Nigeria’s OPEC+ crude output quota stands at 1.5 million bpd, and the country pumped 1.48 million bpd in January, according to OPEC data. Other grades launched recently include Obodo in 2025 and Utapate in 2024.
