An unusual delivery is expected in the Norwegian port of Mongstad near Bergen: The oil tanker “Maran Lyra” is to deliver crude oil from Nigeria to an Equinor refinery there.
It is already the second delivery this month. This means that Norway is importing more oil from West Africa than ever before.
Norway normally hardly imports any crude oil
“It is rare for Norway to import crude oil, and when it does, it is usually from the US,” explained brokerage Braemar. The shipment is the largest oil import from West Africa to Norway and also the highest import volume since February 2023.
The “Maran Lyra”, an oil tanker of the VLCC class (Very Large Crude Carrier) with approx. 318,000 dwt, is 333 m long and 60 m wide. Prior to this, the “Atlantic” (274 m long, 48 m wide, 158,000 dwt) also delivered a cargo. Both ships sail under the Greek flag.
The reason for the import is the oil prices, which are currently very different. Norway’s own oil field, Johan Sverdrup, is currently priced above the Brent benchmark (currently around US$85 per barrel). The price of crude oil from Nigeria, on the other hand, has fallen sharply due to overcapacity.
