Exxon Mobil Corporation in Nigeria declared force majeure on oil liftings from different terminals in the country following industrial action by the company’s in-house workers union, the company said on Monday in a statement.
Nigeria is trying to lift production to 1.6 million barrels per day (bpd), recovering its long time position as the largest African producer of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
In the third quarter last year, production in Nigeria fell behind Angola to about 1 million bpd amid widespread corruption and security issues.
Nigeria produced 1.38 million bpd in February, according to OPEC’s latest report.
“We will continue to take all reasonable actions necessary to resolve the impasse as soon as possible,” Exxon spokesperson Michelle Gray said in a statement on Monday
Exxon has been trying to sell $1.2 billion in shallow-water assets in Nigeria, where it finds operations “challenging”, the company told Reuters in February, while keeping deep-water assets further from the coast.
