Kenya to Export Crude Oil Three Times a Year

Kenya has announced that it will be shipping out crude oil drilled from Turkana oilfields three times per year. This month, the country anticipates ferrying about 2,000 barrels per day from Turkana via road to storage tanks in Mombasa.

Petroleum principal secretary, Andrew Kamau has said the crude oil will be stockpiled at Mariakani refinery tanks for about three to four months and amass adequate quantities to fill a ship.

“Kenyan oil will be exported about three times in a year. The oil must be accumulated for months to fill a ship,” said Kamau.

The limited crude oil production will run until 2021 when Kenya believes it will have constructed its own pipeline.

Reports indicated that Tullow Oil Company has stored more than 70,000 barrels of oil in Lokichar, Turkana County in preparation for the early export plan. The giant oil firm has been extracting 2,000 barrels of crude oil per day and building stocks ready for export.

Three Kenyan companies were awarded the lucrative contracts to provide trucks and oil tankers for moving of crude from Turkana fields to Mombasa port. Nairobi-based Primefuels Ltd, a subsidiary of Dubai-based Primefuels Group won a tender to supply 100 tank-tainers, each with capacity to carry 150 barrels of crude. Multiple Hauliers (EA) Ltd and Oilfield Movers Ltd will supply Trucks, on which the tank-tainers will be mounted, with each of the companies providing 23 trucks.

The Construction of 865-kilometre pipeline between Turkana and Lamu is expected to be complete by the second quarter of 2021 at a cost of Sh210 billion. When complete, the line will enable Kenya to pump out about 100,000 barrels a day, of crude oil for export.