The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) has clinched another breakthrough export deal by shipping out its own cargo to a customer in Europe, THISDAY learnt at the weekend. The crude will be loaded on 9 or 10 April on Greek owner Delta Tankers’ 164,000-dwt Meltemi I (built 2006), chartered by the Nigerian producer’s NNPC Shipping, TradeWinds Media Group reported. “NNPC Trading concluded in March a deal to sell the first delivered crude cargo to one of the big oil majors,” Panos Gliatis, Managing Director of NNPC Shipping, told TradeWinds. The deal has been done on an ex-ship basis, where the seller takes responsibility for shipping and insurance. The tanker has options to discharge in various ports in Europe. “This is a milestone for NNPC and Nigeria. So far it was considered a free-on-board market,” Gliatis was quoted to have added. The deal follows on from the company’s first shipments of LNG on the same basis last year. TradeWinds reported in August that the move was “in line with its strategic vision to be a dynamic and reliable global energy supplier of choice”. Two gas shipments went to Japan and China

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