Niger has started exporting oil via the recently commissioned Niger-Benin oil pipeline. First cargo has officially departed Benin’s Port of Cotonou, with one million barrels on board the Front Cascade tanker.
With a capacity of 110,000 barrels per day (bpd), the Niger-Benin pipeline connects landlocked Niger to international markets via Benin. Completed in April 2024, the pipeline connects Niger’s Agadem Basin to storage tanks and a loading platform at Benin’s Seme terminal.
The milestone follows the removal of a blockade by Benin due to a trade dispute with Niger. As one of the primary financiers of the 1,240-mile pipeline, China served as mediator in the dispute.