Evidence basis: Secondary source Seller statement (no assay published), dated 5 August 2024. Crude quality varies from cargo to cargo; in any transaction the certificate of quality for the specific lifting governs, not a published assay.
No laboratory assay has been published; API gravity and sulphur come from NNPC statements relayed by the press.
Utapate: quality and origin
Utapate is a light, very low-sulphur grade from OML 13 in Akwa Ibom State, produced by NNPC's exploration and production arm with a Sterling group affiliate. NNPC statements give its sulphur content as 0.0655%, and subsequent NNPC commentary and the EIA put its gravity at 44° API.145
Launch timeline
The first 950,000-barrel cargo was lifted in July 2024 and went to Spain after Repsol won the tender; two further cargoes followed in August and September 2024.3 The EIA dates the grade's market introduction to November 2024, which corresponds to NNPC's formal launch event rather than the first lifting.5 Sources also differ on how they name NNPC's partner; we follow the wording of the NNPC statement.
Documented buyers
Beyond Repsol, India's HPCL bought a one-million-barrel Utapate cargo from Glencore in 2026 for its Rajasthan refinery, alongside a cargo of Okwuibome.6 The regulator reported 59.17 thousand b/d for the stream in May 2026,7 enough for roughly two standard cargoes a month (our arithmetic).
What is not yet public
No full assay has been published, so acidity, pour point and yields are unknown to us. NNPC has compared the grade with Amenam; treat that as a seller's description, not a specification.
How published figures compare
Publishers quote different qualities for Utapate 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vanguard, 5 August 20241 | 44 | 0.0655 | Secondary source |
| EIA table, Nov 20255 | 44 | 0.07 | Government |
Loading, operator and output
- Loading point
- Utapate offshore loading (FSO) — see the export terminal database
- Operator
- NNPC E&P Ltd with Natural Oilfield Services (a Sterling/SEEPCO affiliate), OML 131
- Producing area
- Onshore and shallow water, Akwa Ibom State
- First export
- July 2024
- Status
- Active
- Reported output
- 59.2 thousand b/d — UTAPATE stream, May 2026.7 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
- 7.81 barrels per tonne at this gravity (our derived figure) — the barrels-to-tonnes converter has Utapate as a preset
- Checking an offer
- A genuine Utapate 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 Utapate by API gravity. The comparison tool puts any of them side by side.