Nigeria adds 12 million barrels from Utapate and Cawthorne crude

Nigeria’s newly introduced Utapate and Cawthorne crude grades together produced roughly 12.16 million barrels of oil and condensate between January and May 2026, according to data from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission. Utapate accounted for about 8.75 million barrels and Cawthorne for 3.41 million barrels. Despite the rise, Utapate’s output remains about 20,000 barrels per day below the 80,000 bpd target set by operators, with monthly shortfalls ranging from 21,000 to 25,000 barrels. The field, which began production in May 2024, is slated to reach the target by the end of 2025 through ongoing development projects. The first cargo of the Utapate blend, 950,000 barrels, was shipped to Spain, and the crude boasts a low sulfur content of 0.0655 % and a reduced carbon footprint due to flare‑gas elimination. OML 13, the lease hosting Utapate, holds estimated reserves of 330 million barrels of crude, 45 million barrels of condensate and 3.5 trillion cubic feet of gas.