A Maran Tankers suezmax is loading Senegal’s first-ever crude export cargo.
The Angelicoussis Group company’s 159,000-dwt tanker Maran Poseidon (built 2010) arrived in Dakar on Monday.
The vessel will lift the first oil produced in June from the 100,000-barrel-per-day Sangomar field, according to shipping data and sources cited by Kpler and S&P Global.
Loading of the 1m barrel cargo had been expected to be completed on Tuesday.
The last AIS data from yesterday showed the suezmax still at the port.
The Maran Poseidon left Spain on 21 June. Shipbroker Clarksons shows its last port of call en route to West Africa as in the Canary Islands.
Sangomar crude oil has a 31 API gravity, which is highly sought after in European and Asian markets, Kpler said.
Australian field operator Woodside announced successful production last month from the country’s first offshore oil project.
The field uses Modec Offshore’s floating production, storage and offloading vessel Leopold Sedar Senghor (built 2001), which has a storage capacity of 1.3m barrels and is anchored 100 km off the coast.
S&P Global said Shell International Trading is listed as the charterer of the Greek-flagged tanker.
Major milestone
The energy major is the first buyer of Sangomar crude.
Maran Tankers does not comment on operational matters and Shell has yet to respond to a request.
S&P Global described the fixture as a “major milestone” for Senegal, which now joins the ranks of the world’s oil and gas exporters with the $5.2bn development.
The project also represents additional barrels of non-Opec+ crude hitting the market just as the export group tries to stabilise the sector and boost prices, as America’s output spikes.
No destination has yet been signalled for the first cargo.
A similar crude like Oman Blend is mainly sold into China, while another comparable grade, Norway’s Johna Sverdrup, is popular in northern Europe.
