ExxonMobil is working on a plan to
export Qua Iboe crude oil via an alternate pipeline while it repairs damage to
the main export line sustained in July.
The crude oil grade, Nigeria's
largest export stream, has been under force majeure since mid-July, when the
company said it detected a "system anomaly" on the subsea pipeline.
According to Reuters, sources said
the company later found substantial damage that would take at least one to two
months to repair.
An Exxon spokesman declined to
comment on the plan to use an alternative pipeline, saying: "We're
continuing to make progress, but we would not speculate on a timeline for
repairs."
Nigeria's oil production has been
hobbled by militant action since the beginning of the year, with state oil
company NNPC saying pipeline attacks have taken out some 700,000 barrels per
day (bpd) from production that is typically just above 2 million bpd.
In addition to Qua Iboe, crude oil
streams Forcados and Brass River are also under force majeure, while Bonny
Light and Escravos exports have been hampered by pipeline closures.
Exxon has said there was no militant
involvement in the problem on the Qua Iboe line, though the Niger Delta
Avengers claimed an attack on the 48" pipeline just days before the force
majeure was announced.
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