The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) has returned to the international crude market with offers for cargoes of Cawthorne and Bonny Light as Nigeria expands the range of crude grades available to global buyers.
According to tender documents seen by Reuters, NNPC is seeking buyers for a 950,000-barrel cargo of Cawthorne crude scheduled to load between September 21 and 22, 2026.
The state-owned energy company is also marketing 950,000 barrels of Bonny Light with loading scheduled for September 30 to October 1.
Together, the two tenders represent 1.9 million barrels of Nigerian crude being offered to international buyers.
Both cargoes are being marketed on a free-on-board (FOB) basis with prospective buyers expected to submit bids by 8 p.m. West Africa Time on August 4.
The latest tender highlights Nigeria’s efforts to broaden its crude export portfolio following the introduction of Cawthorne earlier this year.
Nigeria began exporting the Cawthorne grade in March, adding it to a growing list of newer export streams that includes Nembe and Utapate.
The expansion comes as the country seeks to rebuild crude production and strengthen export earnings following years of operational disruptions, infrastructure challenges and oil theft.
Bonny Light, meanwhile, remains one of Nigeria’s established crude grades and continues to attract demand from refiners because of its relatively low sulphur content and high yield of valuable refined products.
A preliminary loading programme showed that the Bonny Light stream is expected to supply approximately 364,000 barrels per day across 12 cargoes, providing substantial volumes for the international market.
The latest Nigerian cargoes are entering the market at a period of heightened uncertainty across global oil supply chains.
West African crude sellers have started seeking higher prices for their barrels as disruptions in the Middle East increase concerns about the availability of competing supplies.
However, trading activity has remained relatively subdued as refiners and commodity traders assess developments around strategic shipping corridors, particularly the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea.
Any prolonged disruption to Middle Eastern crude flows could strengthen demand for alternative barrels from West Africa, potentially improving the competitiveness of Nigerian grades in Europe and other international refining markets.
For Nigeria, increased exports of newer grades such as Cawthorne alongside established streams including Bonny Light could support the government’s broader objective of increasing crude production, diversifying export supply and strengthening foreign exchange earnings from the petroleum industry.