Port Sudan, December 15 (Darfur24)
A high-level delegation from the Republic of South Sudan visited the oil export terminal in Port Sudan on Monday, where they held discussions with operating companies on the flow of crude oil exports.
The delegation included President Salva Kiir Mayardit’s security adviser, Tut Galwak, the foreign minister, the undersecretary of the Ministry of Petroleum, and several technical officials.
In a statement obtained by Darfur24, Sudan’s Ministry of Energy said the delegation toured the Bashayer 1 and 2 oil export terminals in Port Sudan. During the visit, they met with officials from the Petrolines for Crude Oil Company (PETCO) and the Bashayer Pipelines Company (BAPCO) to discuss maintaining the smooth operation of crude oil exports.
Sudan’s Minister of Energy, Al-Mu‘tasim Ibrahim, said his ministry is technically prepared to operate and maintain petroleum facilities in a way that serves the interests of both countries. He added that the visit comes as part of ongoing coordination and exchange of visits between Sudan and South Sudan regarding oil operations, noting the longstanding ties and shared interests between the two countries, particularly in the energy sector.
The visit follows the recent deployment of South Sudanese forces to the Heglig oilfield in West Kordofan under a tripartite agreement involving South Sudanese President Salva Kiir Mayardit, Sudanese army commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and Rapid Support Forces leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. The deployment took place after the Rapid Support Forces seized control of the field and Sudanese army units withdrew into South Sudan.
Heglig contains approximately 75 oil wells across several production blocks and hosts the central processing facilities for oil produced in West Kordofan and South Sudan.