LONDON, May 6 (Reuters) - Shell has declared force majeureon exports of Nigeria's Forcados crude oil stream, a spokesmanfor the company said on Wednesday.
It declared force majeure on the evening on May 5 following"a series of leaks" in the Trans Forcados pipeline that bringsthe oil to the export terminal. The pipeline itself is operatedby the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC).
Several cargoes of Forcados for May loading were still onoffer, with around 189,000 barrels per day (bpd) scheduled forexport in six cargoes. The June export programme, with a totalof 158,000 bpd, had not yet started trading, sources said.
An overhang of light sweet crudes in the Atlantic Basin hasdepressed differentials to dated Brent and limited the impact ofrecent supply disruptions on some West African crude oil grades. (Reporting by Libby George; editing by Susan Thomas)