Nigerian crude oil export terminals
Nigerian crude is exported through a handful of large onshore terminals with offshore moorings and a growing fleet of floating production and storage vessels. Several changed hands in 2024–2025, so many directories now name the wrong operator. This database records the current position, with sources.
Terminal database
| Type | Location | Grade loaded | Operator | Storage | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bonny (BOGT) | Onshore terminal with offshore SBMs | Rivers State | Bonny Light | Renaissance Africa Energy (ex-Shell SPDC, since March 2025)1 | — | 320.0 Aug 20262 |
| Forcados | Onshore terminal with offshore SPMs | Delta State | Forcados | Renaissance Africa Energy (ex-Shell SPDC, since March 2025)1 | — | 317.4 Aug 20262 |
| Qua Iboe (QIT) | Onshore terminal with offshore SPMs | Akwa Ibom State | Qua Iboe | Seplat Energy (ex-ExxonMobil MPNU, since December 2024)3 | Design throughput 600,000 b/d3 | 171.7 Aug 20262 |
| Escravos | Offshore platform with two SBMs | Delta State | Escravos | Chevron Nigeria4 | — | 131.7 Aug 20262 |
| Bonga FPSO | FPSO, deepwater | 120 km offshore, OML 118 | Bonga | Shell (SNEPCo)5 | About 2 million bbl5 | 92.5 Aug 20262 |
| Brass | Onshore terminal, offshore loading | Bayelsa State | Brass River | Oando (ex-Eni NAOC, since August 2024)6 | — | 43.5 May 20267 |
| Agbami FPSO | FPSO, deepwater | 112 km offshore, OML 127/128 | Agbami | Chevron (Star Deep Water); Chappal holds ex-Equinor 20.21%8 | About 2.15 million bbl9 | 69.2 May 20267 |
| Erha FPSO | FPSO, deepwater | 97 km offshore, OML 133 | Erha | ExxonMobil (Esso E&P Nigeria)10 | 2.2 million bbl10 | 69.7 May 20267 |
| Odudu (FSO Unity) | FSO, shallow water | 30 km offshore eastern Niger Delta | Amenam Blend | TotalEnergies EP Nigeria11 | More than 2.4 million bbl11 | 63.3 May 20267 |
| Tulja FSO | FSO | Offshore; fields onshore northern Niger Delta | Okwuibome | Sterling Oil Exploration & Energy Production (SEEPCO)4 | — | 63.6 May 20267 |
| Utapate (offshore loading) | Offshore loading / FSO | Akwa Ibom State, OML 13 | Utapate | NNPC E&P with Natural Oilfield Services12 | — | 59.2 May 20267 |
| Egina FPSO | FPSO, deepwater | 150 km offshore, OML 130 | Egina | TotalEnergies Upstream Nigeria13 | About 2.3 million bbl13 | 49.6 May 20267 |
| Nembe export terminal (FSO) | FSO | Offshore Bayelsa, OML 29 | Nembe | Aiteo Eastern E&P (NNPC/Aiteo JV)14 | 2 million bbl14 | 41.7 May 20267 |
| Akpo FPSO | FPSO, deepwater | 135 km offshore, OML 130 | Akpo Blend (condensate) | TotalEnergies Upstream Nigeria15 | 2 million bbl15 | 37.4 May 20267 |
| Ugo Ocha FSO (Jones Creek) | FSO fed by barge | Offshore Delta State, OML 42 | Jones Creek blend | Neconde Energy (NNPC E&P / Neconde JV)16 | — | 35.9 May 20267 |
| Usan FPSO | FPSO, deepwater | 100 km offshore, OML 138 | Usan | Not confirmed by us from a current primary source17 | — | 32.2 May 20267 |
| Cawthorne FSO | FSO | Offshore Bonny, Rivers State, OML 18 | Cawthorne | NNPC Ltd and OML 18 partners18 | — | 28.9 May 20267 |
| Sea Eagle FPSO | FPSO, shallow water | Offshore western Niger Delta | EA Blend | Renaissance Africa Energy1 | — | 15.0 May 20267 |
| Otakikpo onshore terminal | Onshore terminal with offshore SPM | Rivers State, OML 11 | Otakikpo | Green Energy International19 | 750,000 bbl, expandable20 | 7.2 May 20267 |
| Yoho FSO | Platform and FSO | Offshore Akwa Ibom, OML 104 | Yoho | Seplat Energy (since December 2024)3 | About 2 million bbl3 | — near zero since Feb 20267 |
Output is the regulator's reported production by terminal stream in thousand barrels per day for the period shown — production, not exports. Storage is shown only where we have a citable source; blank cells mean no reliable published figure, not zero.
Who operates what after the 2024–2025 divestments
Four transactions changed the operator of Nigeria's main onshore export systems:
- Bonny, Forcados and the Sea Eagle FPSO passed from Shell's SPDC to Renaissance Africa Energy in March 2025; the joint venture is NNPC 55%, Renaissance 30%, TotalEnergies 10% and Eni 5%.1
- Qua Iboe Terminal and the Yoho FSO passed from ExxonMobil's Mobil Producing Nigeria to Seplat Energy on 12 December 2024.3
- Brass terminal passed from Eni's Nigerian Agip Oil Company to Oando on 22 August 2024.6
- Agbami remains Chevron-operated, but Equinor's interest passed to Chappal Energies on 6 December 2024.8
Port directories that still list Shell, Mobil or Agip as operators are out of date. This matters for verification: the operator is the party that can confirm whether a loading is genuine. Quality data for each stream is in the Nigerian crude grade database.
New terminals and the move away from shared pipelines
Since 2023 producers have built independent export routes rather than rely on trunk pipelines vulnerable to theft and outages. The Nembe export terminal (November 2023), the Utapate loading facility (July 2024), the Cawthorne FSO (April 2026) and the onshore Otakikpo terminal — whose first cargo was exported in June 2025 and which the African Energy Chamber described as Nigeria's first new crude export facility in about fifty years — each created a new grade or a new route.14211819 One producer barges crude to the Ugo Ocha FSO specifically as an alternative to the ageing Trans-Forcados pipeline.16
The largest terminals
Thousand barrels per day. Source: NUPRC.2
National crude production in August 2026 was 1.50 million barrels per day, excluding condensate, against an OPEC quota of 1.5 million.222
What buyers should know about loading
- Sales are normally FOB the terminal — see FOB and CIF explained: the buyer nominates a tanker acceptable to the terminal. Standard parcels of 950,000 barrels suit a Suezmax; several terminals also load larger vessels. Always confirm berth limits with the terminal or a ship's agent.
- Since 2025 the vessel must be declared to the regulator at least five days before arrival and cleared before loading — see the compliance guide.
- Pipeline-fed onshore terminals carry a higher risk of loading delays than deepwater FPSOs, though an FPSO outage removes its whole stream — as the regulator's data for Bonga in February 2026 show.7
Sources
- Renaissance Africa Energy Company — About Renaissance Company-reported
- Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission — August 2026 production status release Regulatory
- Seplat Energy — Completion of the acquisition of MPNU — investor presentation Company-reported
- Oxford Institute for Energy Studies — Nigerian Barrels and the Demand Shock Industry
- Offshore Technology — Bonga deepwater project Industry
- Oando PLC — Oando completes $783 million acquisition of Eni's subsidiary, Nigerian Agip Oil Company Company-reported
- Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission — 2026 daily average crude oil and condensate production by terminal stream, January–May (provisional) RegulatoryProduction by stream, not exports. Provisional.
- Equinor — Equinor sells Nigerian business Company-reported
- Offshore Technology — Agbami oilfield Industry
- Offshore Technology — Erha deepwater development Industry
- Offshore Technology — Amenam-Kpono field Industry
- Vanguard — NNPC unveils new crude oil grade, Utapate, exports first cargo to Spain Secondary sourceRelays NNPC statements.
- Offshore Technology — Egina field Industry
- NNPC Ltd — NNPC/Aiteo joint venture launches Nembe crude oil grade Company-reportedPress release; no laboratory assay has been published.
- Offshore Technology — Akpo field Industry
- Neconde Energy — OML 42 operations Company-reported
- ExxonMobil — Usan assay (ref. USAN25Y) Company-reported
- NNPC Ltd — NNPC Ltd launches Cawthorne crude onto global market, exports first cargo to Netherlands Company-reportedPress release; sulphur content not stated; no assay published.
- African Energy Chamber — Green Energy International exports first crude from new onshore terminal in Nigeria Secondary source
- Leadership — Upstream regulator lauds $400m Otakikpo terminal Secondary source
- African Energy Council — NNPC Ltd launches new crude oil exports to Spain Secondary source
- OPEC — Annual Statistical Bulletin 2025 OfficialExport series may include lease condensate and oil in transit.
Last reviewed 18 September 2026. Found an error? Tell us — see our methodology and corrections policy.