Sudan has lifted a nearly year-long force majeure on the transportation of crude oil from South Sudan to the Red Sea, citing improved security conditions. The announcement was made in a letter from Sudan’s Ministry of Energy and Petroleum to its South Sudanese counterpart, dated January 4, and confirmed by an official.
The force majeure was initially declared in March 2024 after the primary pipeline transporting South Sudan’s oil through Sudan to Port Sudan faced disruptions due to the ongoing civil war between Sudan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
In the letter, Sudanese Energy Minister Mohiedienn Naiem Mohamed Saied informed South Sudan’s Petroleum Minister Puot Kang Chol that the decision to lift the force majeure followed new security arrangements between Khartoum, Juba, and BAPCO, the Sudanese company managing the pipeline. These measures aim to ensure the safe flow of oil.
The Petrodar pipeline, a crucial infrastructure managed by a consortium including China’s CNPC and Sinopec, along with Malaysia’s Petronas, stretches over 1,500 kilometers from South Sudan’s Melut Basin to Port Sudan. Another pipeline transports crude from Unity State in South Sudan to the same port.
Before the disruptions, South Sudan exported approximately 150,000 barrels of crude oil per day through Sudan, as per an agreement established following South Sudan’s independence in 2011.
Sudan descended into civil conflict in April 2023, triggering waves of ethnic violence and creating the world’s largest internal displacement crisis. The resumption of oil transportation marks a significant development in economic collaboration between the two nations despite ongoing instability.