Benin to ship 330,000 barrels of oil to Netherlands
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on 24h au Bénin
About 330,000 barrels from the offshore Sèmè field are due to be loaded on 1 and 2 November 2026 for shipment to the Netherlands. Shell Trading will collect and transport them for three years after Akrake Petroleum resumed operations at the site, according to 24h au Bénin.
Benin is to load about 330,000 barrels of crude oil from the offshore Sèmè field on 1 and 2 November aboard the tanker Kriti Jade, bound for the Netherlands, according to 24h au Bénin. The cargo will be collected and transported by Shell Trading, which was selected following a call for expressions of interest, and then delivered to the group’s refineries in the Netherlands.
The planned volume exceeds the initial estimate of 250,000 barrels. Shell Trading will handle these operations for three years, while current production from the field is estimated at about 3,000 barrels per day, according to 24h au Bénin.
The Sèmè field was brought back into operation by Akrake Petroleum, a subsidiary of Rex International Holding, which holds 76% of the interests in block 1, compared with 15% for the Beninese state and 9% for Octogone E&P. The operator still has to reach an agreement with the state on operating conditions, particularly costs related to offshore extraction, production and storage equipment. Reducing expenditure could pave the way for new drilling and increased output.
This operation follows preparations for the first Beninese oil cargo, announced on 22 September with a volume then estimated at 250,000 barrels.
