- API gravity
- 36.6°1
- Sulphur
- 0.13 wt%
- Acidity (TAN)
- 0.28 mg KOH/g
- Pour point
- -36 °C
- Barrels per tonne
- 7.48 derived2
- Standard cargo
- 950,000 bbl3
Evidence basis: Company-reported Company-published assay, dated 1 May 2018. Crude quality varies from cargo to cargo; in any transaction the certificate of quality for the specific lifting governs, not a published assay.
Brass River: quality and origin
Brass River is a light sweet blend from the central Niger Delta, exported from the Brass terminal on the Bayelsa coast. The TotalEnergies assay dated May 2018 gives 36.6° API, 0.13% sulphur, a total acid number of 0.28 and a pour point of −36 °C.1 Argus's 2026 typical quality — 36.5° and 0.13% — agrees closely.3
The 40° API figure
The EIA table and some older industry references list Brass River at about 40° API and 0.20% sulphur.4 Both the 2018 assay and the current Argus specification point to about 36.5°, so the higher number appears to be an older vintage that is still being copied. One financial-data page we saw in search results on 18 September 2026 describes the grade as "high sulfur", which no assay supports.
Operator and volumes
Oando became operator of the producing licences and the terminal when it completed its acquisition of Nigerian Agip Oil Company from Eni on 22 August 2024.5 What Eni's exit means for Italian buying is covered in the Italy market profile. Volumes are well below historical levels: the regulator's table shows about 43.5 thousand b/d including condensate in May 2026,6 against roughly 100 thousand b/d cited for 2020.7 Lower throughput means fewer cargoes per month and less scheduling flexibility.
Distillation yields
| Cut | Yield (wt%) |
|---|---|
| Light naphtha (15–80 °C) | 5.7 |
| Heavy naphtha (80–175 °C) | 21.5 |
| Kerosene (150–230 °C) | 16.3 |
| Gasoil (175–400 °C) | 49.8 |
| Residue (>375 °C) | 25.7 |
| Vacuum residue (>550 °C) | 5.2 |
Other assay values: density 841.5 kg/m³; viscosity 4.8 cSt at 10 °C; 2.3 cSt at 50 °C; nickel 2.8 and vanadium 0.4 mg/kg.1
How published figures compare
Publishers quote different qualities for Brass River because assays are run years apart on a stream whose field mix changes, and because price-reporting agencies publish rounded "typical" values. We show the figures side by side rather than silently choosing one.
| Source | API | Sulphur wt% | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| TotalEnergies Trading, 1 May 20181 | 36.6 | 0.13 | Company-reported |
| Argus typical, Aug 20263 | 36.5 | 0.13 | Industry |
| EIA table, Nov 20254 | 40 | 0.2 | Government |
Loading, operator and output
- Loading point
- Brass River Terminal — see the export terminal database
- Operator
- Oando (operator of OMLs 60–63 since acquiring Nigerian Agip Oil Company on 22 August 2024)5
- Producing area
- Onshore and swamp central Niger Delta, Bayelsa State
- Status
- Active, at reduced volumes
- Reported output
- 43.5 thousand b/d — BRASS stream, crude plus condensate, May 2026.6 This is production by stream, not exports; part of some streams is delivered to Nigerian refineries.
- Pricing basis
- A differential to Dated Brent — see how Nigerian crude is priced
- Volume conversion
- 7.48 barrels per tonne at this gravity (our derived figure) — the barrels-to-tonnes converter has Brass River as a preset
- Checking an offer
- A genuine Brass River cargo traces back to the operator and loading point above. See who can lawfully sell Nigerian crude and the verification centre before engaging any seller
Comparable grades
The Nigerian grades closest to Brass River by API gravity. The comparison tool puts any of them side by side.