African Petroleum Strikes Oil Off Liberia

African Petroleum Corp said it had made a significant oil discovery from its Narina-1 well at its offshore LB-09 block in Liberia.

“Narina-1 has identified a potentially large accumulation of light good quality oil at the Turonian level, as well as excellent quality oil in the Albian,” chief executive, Karl Thompson said in a statement.

Australia-listed African Petroleum was planning an “extensive exploration and appraisal programme in Liberia in 2012,” he said.

Meanwhile  ship carrying disputed Sudanese crude remained anchored off southwest Japan on Tuesday, in spite of a British court ruling giving the tanker permission to unload, three shipping sources said.

The Ratna Shradha, which is owned by India Steamship, is holding 600,000 barrels of crude oil that South Sudan says was seized by neighbouring Sudan last month.

It was sold at deep discount to a North Asian trader, the sources said.

The tanker has yet to receive permission to dock from JX Nippon Oil and Energy, operator of the Kiire terminal, a source familiar with the matter said.

“The ship was scheduled to discharge at the terminal, but so far we have not received any news from JX Nippon,” the source said.

The tanker has remained off the terminal since February 14, according to Reuters shipping data. The docking schedule for this week does not show the Ratna Shradha unloading, a second shipping source said.

At least two traders said the cargo had been bought by JX Nippon Oil and Energy.

India Steamship, a unit of Chambal Fertilisers and Chemicals Ltd., and JX Nippon Oil, both declined to comment.

Chambal Fertilisers submitted the case to a British commercial court on February 15, a court official told newsmen after questions over the legal ownership of the crude emerged.