By Philip Buda Ladu
South Sudan’s crude oil has successfully reached the marine terminal at Port Sudan, a development that signals potential economic relief for South Sudan.
This marks a crucial step towards the resumption of oil exports to global market, which have faced disruptions over the past year due to the raging war in neighboring Sudan.
A high-level petroleum delegation from South Sudan convened in Port Sudan this week to meet with Sudanese petroleum authorities.
The delegation included representatives from key South Sudanese oil consortium companies: DPOC, GPOC, SPOC, and the national oil company NILPET.
Discussions centered on the complex details of oil transportation, export procedures, relevant legal frameworks, and associated fees.
Sudanese counterparts included representatives from BAPCO (the pipeline operating company) and the Sudanese Ministry of Energy and Petroleum.
South Sudan’s Petroleum ministry advisor, Mohamed Lino confirmed the positive development as quoted by the state-run SSBC, stating, “i grabbed this opportunity to congratulate BAPCO for the big achievement that crude oil from South Sudan reached the marine terminal safely.”
“This is good news because we in South Sudan have been since last year staying in difficulties because of the loss of crude oil from Dar as all of you know this is the major share of crude oil production in South Sudan which got halted for a whole year, but thank God with all your efforts and dedications we are able to bring this back now.” He continued.
Lino further expressed optimism about the ongoing discussions, adding, “We hope that all our discussions today will all input into the better improvement of the industry and also our performance.”
Echoing this sentiment, Mohammad Salah Osman, the chairperson of the Sudanese Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, assured the public that preparations for the first crude oil export shipment from the marine terminal are actively underway.
He acknowledged some initial challenges in recovering existing crude, saying, one contractor to recover this crude, have started already.
“We have a contract now with some contractors to start already to recover this crude from the beach by trucks and float it here in the tank, in the marine tank. But a little bit slow now, it will take time.” Osman started.
Meanwhile, BAPCO confirmed the current flow of oil through the pipeline from Pump Station One in South Sudan stands at 110,000 barrels per day. This figure indicates a significant resumption of pumping operations.
Adding further weight to these discussions, the undersecretary of the South Sudan Ministry of Petroleum is expected to join the delegation in Port Sudan later this week.
This continued engagement highlights the commitment of both nations to ensure a smooth and efficient resumption of oil exports, which are vital for South Sudan’s economy.