Sudan and South Sudan produce three crude oil blends: Dar, Nile, and Fula. The Dar blend (25.0° API gravity, 0.11% sulfur) is a heavy paraffinic type of crude oil that has a high acid content and must be heated during transport to avoid congealing in ship tanks.
How does South Sudan get its oil?
South Sudan relies on Sudan to export its crude oil, which travels through a pipeline to the Red Sea via Khartoum where fighting erupted on Saturday.
Who owns the oil industry in Sudan?
The state-owned China National Petroleum Corporation controls 40 per cent of the largest oil consortiums in Sudan. It has invested heavily in Sudan’s oil infrastructure, including the pipeline to Port Sudan and several refineries in the north. And so it benefits heavily from Sudan’s oil industry, importing billions of dollars of oil per year.
Will Sudan increase oil production?
Neither country will likely be able to substantially increase production without significantly improving the security situation or increasing foreign investment. Sudan brought two small oil fields in Blocks 6 and 17 online at the end of 2012, and the country is exploring offshore production in the Red Sea Basin.