North & South Sudan fix oil export glitch: ambassador
May 29, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – The neighbouring states of Sudan and South Sudan fixed a technical issue at an export facility that forced Juba to cut its production by half last week, an official said today.
“The oil is flowing… We expect it to arrive on the 13th, 14th or 15th in Port Sudan,” Wol said, adding that it would be loaded on vessels around June 20.
Last week, Juba accused Khartoum of instructing oil companies to stop production from some oil fields which threatened to drastically derail a deal signed last March allowing for resumption of oil flow after more than a year of being suspended.
The Sudanese government however, denied this saying that it s a result of a technical issue.
Officials at the South Sudan’s petroleum and mining ministry said the stoppage began when security operatives “tied nuts” and chased away oil workers from the Tharjath oil field in Unity state.
At the time, South Sudan president Salva Kiir pledged to halt oil production if Khartoum continues these “playing tactics”.
The Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir this week himself warned Juba that he will shut down the pipelines carrying oil from the landlocked south into the Red Sea coastal city of Port Sudan if it does not stop backing anti-Khartoum insurgents.
But South Sudan ambassador downplayed Bashir’s threats describing it as an “emotional” outburst of the president which he has got used while growing up in Khartoum.
“I am not shocked,” Wol told Reuters. “We know the president, we know him,” he said, laughing.
He said bilateral meetings have been going on normally since the speech for both sides to work out details on oil, trade and border security deals which were incorporated in last March’s implementation matrix.
(ST)