Niger has resumed crude oil exports through Benin following a dispute that had halted the flow via a Chinese-funded pipeline to the West African coast.
This information comes from an agent at the West African Gas Pipeline Company (Wapco) and ship tracking data reported on Wednesday.
The dispute stemmed from Niger’s refusal to lift a ban on imported goods from Benin, which led its coastal neighbor to block exports through the PetroChina-backed pipeline in May. In response, Niger halted oil flow in June.
On Tuesday, a Liberian-flagged crude oil tanker, the Aura M, loaded approximately one million barrels of Nigerien oil at a Benin port, according to the Wapco agent. Ship tracking data from MarineTraffic confirmed that the tanker departed the Benin port later that day and was en route to China, with an expected arrival on Oct. 10. It was last seen in the Gulf of Guinea, off the West African coast.
The pipeline, which is operated by Wapco and has a capacity of 90,000 barrels per day, became operational earlier this year. It stretches nearly 2,000 km (1,243 miles) from Niger’s Agadem oilfield to the Beninese coast.
The ban imposed by Niger on Benin was rooted in political disagreements within the West African regional bloc ECOWAS, which had sanctioned Niger last year. While ECOWAS eventually lifted the sanctions, Niger did not restore imports from Benin.
It remains unclear how the dispute was resolved, as Nigerien and Beninese officials could not be reached for comment.
Niger’s crude oil exports via the pipeline are part of a $400 million agreement with China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC). However, the region’s political instability was highlighted in June when a Nigerien anti-government rebel group sabotaged the pipeline, causing minor damage.