‎Sahara Upstream has expanded crude evacuation capacity at Oil Mining Lease (OML) 18 with the deployment of a 380,000-barrel Medium Range tanker expected to strengthen crude evacuation operations and support higher production volumes.
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‎The vessel, MT D Adesanya, has a capacity of more than 62,000 cubic metres of crude oil and will serve as an additional mother vessel alongside MT D Bayero. Stationed at Bonny Anchorage, it will receive crude from shuttle vessels operating within the field before onward transfer to the Floating Storage and Offloading (FSO) Cawthorne facility. The deployment is expected to improve turnaround times by enabling shuttle vessels to discharge more quickly and return to loading operations, reducing operational bottlenecks and increasing throughput.
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‎Chief Value Officer of Sahara Upstream, Dr Tosin Etomi, described the deployment as a significant investment in capacity, resilience and long-term value creation, saying it would strengthen the infrastructure required for sustainable production growth
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‎”The deployment of MT D Adesanya reinforces our commitment to building the capacity required to support sustainable production growth. By strengthening our evacuation infrastructure, we are enhancing operational reliability, improving efficiency and creating the flexibility needed to support increasing production volumes today and in the future,” he said.
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‎Etomi said efficient evacuation systems were essential to maximising the value of energy resources, adding that stronger capacity and improved reliability would support export efficiency and economic activity. He added that the deployment would also improve marine logistics efficiency by reducing waiting times, idle periods, fuel consumption and associated emissions.
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‎The tanker is named after the late Debola Adesanya, who led Sahara’s Kenya operations and contributed to the company’s growth across East Africa before his death on May 1, 2026.
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‎Executive Directors Tope Shonubi and Wale Ajibade described the vessel as a tribute to Adesanya’s leadership and contribution to the organisation.
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‎Sahara Upstream said the deployment follows the introduction of FSO Cawthorne and the expansion of oilfield services through Arahas Global Oilfield Services as part of its investment in operational capacity.