The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) says it will start exporting a new light, sweet crude grade called Cawthorne from March. According to Reuters, an NNPC spokesperson said this will add to a recent recovery in output from Nigeria. The report said the launch is part of Nigeria’s broader push to lift production, long constrained by unrest and crude theft, and follows the introduction of two other new grades from 2024. “Nigeria, already pumping close to its OPEC quota, is among the countries seeking a higher target within the producer group. Cawthorne crude, which is due to be exported in the third week of March according to a source familiar with the matter, has an API gravity of 36.4, making it similar in quality to Nigeria’s Bonny Light, valued for its high yields of gasoline and diesel.”