Key facts
- Uganda is projected to become a crude oil exporter in early 2027.
- Vitol has been appointed by Uganda National Oil Company to market Uganda's Pearl Sweet crude oil.
- The East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), a 1,443-kilometer pipeline, is over 90% complete.
- The EACOP will transport crude oil from Uganda's Albertine Graben to Tanzania's port of Tanga.
- Production from the Tilenga and Kingfisher oilfields is expected to reach approximately 200,000 barrels per day.
Uganda is poised to become the world's newest crude oil exporter in early 2027, with officials indicating that the country is nearing its first oil production. The project involves the development of the Tilenga and Kingfisher oil fields by TotalEnergies and CNOOC, respectively. The Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC) has selected global energy trader Vitol to market the nation's Pearl Sweet crude oil ahead of anticipated exports.
Uganda's Minister for Energy and Mineral Development, Monica Musenero Masanza, recently presented Pearl Sweet crude oil to an international audience at the APPEC 2026 conference. This crude, produced from the Tilenga and Kingfisher fields, has a low sulfur content of 0.12% and will be exported via the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP).
The EACOP, a $5 billion project spanning 1,443 kilometers, is designed to transport crude oil from Uganda's Albertine Graben to the port of Tanga in Tanzania. The pipeline is now over 90% complete, overcoming years of delays and controversies. It is expected to facilitate the export of approximately 200,000 barrels of crude oil per day, with a potential ramp-up to 246,000 bpd.