US crude imports from Nigeria declined by 15.06% in the first quarter of 2026, dropping to $578.78 million from $681.40 million in the same period of 2025, according to the latest international trade data released by the US Census Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In volume terms, imports fell to 7.84 million barrels from 8.44 million barrels — a drop of 7.03%.
Monthly figures painted a sharper picture of the decline, with Nigerian crude imports into the US falling from 4.64 million barrels in February to just 1.54 million barrels in March 2026, reflecting weaker near-term demand and supply adjustment dynamics. Nigeria’s share of total African crude exports to the US fell markedly, to approximately 34.8% in Q1 2026 from around 61.7% in the same period of 2025.
The broader African export picture, however, told a different story. Total US crude imports from Africa rose significantly, reaching $1.66 billion in Q1 2026 from $1.10 billion in 2025, driven by stronger contributions from Libya and Ghana — suggesting that market share is shifting among African producers rather than demand for African crude contracting overall.
Pipeline Disruption Clouds Nigeria’s Production Picture
On the production side, Nigeria’s crude output remained relatively stable at 1.56 million barrels per day in March, broadly unchanged from February and up slightly from 1.51 million barrels per day in January. However, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) reported that a pipeline leak on the Trans Forcados Pipeline at the Keremor axis curtailed production volumes across several assets between February 20 and March 25.
Crude oil sales figures also reflected volatility, dropping sharply to 17.37 million barrels in March from 22.85 million in February and 25.75 million in January. NNPCL said it is executing recovery plans to restore production reliability and resolve evacuation constraints across affected assets.
Source: orientalnewsng.com