{"id":348716,"date":"2025-10-13T01:04:35","date_gmt":"2025-10-13T00:04:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thetidenewsonline.com\/?p=348716"},"modified":"2025-10-12T20:35:42","modified_gmt":"2025-10-12T19:35:42","slug":"oml18-nnpc-sahara-launch-2-2m-barrel-floating-vessel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thetidenewsonline.com\/?p=348716","title":{"rendered":"OML18: NNPC, Sahara Launch 2.2m-Barrel Floating Vessel"},"content":{"rendered":"<div dir=\"auto\">The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Sahara Group, Eroton Exploration &amp; Production Company, and Bilton Energy Limited have jointly commissioned the nation\u2019s first wholly owned 2.2-million-barrel capacity Floating Storage and Offloading (FSO) vessel.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">The vessel, named Cawthorne, is designed to drive sustained oil production, enhance crude export reliability, and bolster Nigeria\u2019s energy security and sustainability.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">A statement signed by the Head of Corporate Communications at Sahara Group Ltd, Bethel Obioma, stated that the vessel is Nigeria\u2019s first Crude Oil Terminal to be commissioned in 50 years.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Christened Cawthorne, the Floating Storage and Offloading (FSO) Terminal is designed to enhance crude evacuation from Nigeria\u2019s OML 18 and nearby assets, the statement added.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">This achievement, according to Udobong Ntia, EVP Upstream, NNPC, who represented the NNPC GCEO, Bashir Ojulari, at the commissioning, \u201cis another bold achievement from the partnership between NNPC and its JV Partners that would guarantee seamless operations and bolster the strategic targets set by the President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, towards ensuring optimised upstream production in Nigeria.\u201d<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Located at offshore Bonny, the double-hull FSO vessel with a storage capacity of 2.2 million barrels, represents a bold step forward in strengthening Nigeria\u2019s crude export infrastructure and operational resilience.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">NNPC Chief Upstream Investment Officer, Seyi Omotola, said the vessel represents a \u201crenewed hope\u201d for Nigeria\u2019s upstream sector, adding that it also reaffirms the growing capacity of the nation to make its energy sector globally competitive.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">The Chief Executive of the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Gbenga Komolafe,who was represented by the Executive Commissioner, Development and Production, at the commission, Enorense Amadasu, said: \u201cThis is a commendable achievement that aligns with the vision of the NUPRC towards accelerating production in the nation, reliably, seamlessly and sustainably.\u201d<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Amadasu added that the Cawthorne FSO will enhance Nigeria\u2019s export reliability and contribute to a more stable global energy supply chain. \u201cThis is a critical step toward unlocking the full potential of OML 18 and other strategic assets in the region.\u201d<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Managing Director, Niger Delta Exploration and Production Offshore Limited (NEOL), Ibiyemi Asaolu, said \u201cThis milestone showcases what is possible when innovation, collaboration, and execution excellence align. With FSO Cawthorne, we are not only securing production continuity from OML 18 but also contributing to Nigeria\u2019s long-term energy infrastructure and revenue stability.\u201d<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">On his part, the Head, Commercial and Planning, Asharami Energy (a Sahara Group Upstream Company), Dr. Tosin Etomi, said &#8220;The Cawthorne FSO stands as a symbol of innovation meeting necessity. It is not just a vessel, it\u2019s an assurance of continuity, reliability, and value creation for our partners, our nation, and our people&#8221;.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">&#8220;This collaboration with the NNPC, NUPRC and other stakeholders embodies the drive to turn complex energy challenges into sustainable solutions that power progress across Africa.\u201d<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Etomi said the ultramodern vessel is fitted with digital capabilities that make it a vessel \u201cbuilt for the future, driving operational flexibility, reduction in carbon exposure from barge movements, and enhancing overall evacuation safety. It\u2019s an investment in the resilience of the upstream sector and our environment.\u201d<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cThe commissioning of FSO Cawthorne reaffirms Sahara Group\u2019s and indeed OML 18 Partners\u2019 commitment to powering progress responsibly through partnerships, innovation, and infrastructure that strengthen Africa\u2019s energy independence&#8221;, he stated.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Sahara Group, Eroton Exploration &amp; Production Company, and Bilton Energy Limited have jointly commissioned the nation\u2019s first wholly owned 2.2-million-barrel capacity Floating Storage and Offloading (FSO) vessel. The vessel, named Cawthorne, is designed to drive sustained oil production, enhance crude export reliability, and bolster Nigeria\u2019s energy security and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":67315,"featured_media":348770,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[57],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-348716","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-oil-energy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetidenewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348716","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetidenewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetidenewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetidenewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/67315"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetidenewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=348716"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetidenewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348716\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":348773,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetidenewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348716\/revisions\/348773"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetidenewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/348770"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetidenewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=348716"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetidenewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=348716"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetidenewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=348716"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}