A very large crude carrier (VLCC) is delivering China’s first cargo of Guyana’s new Golden Arrowhead crude grade, marking a rare long-haul shipment from Guyana as output from the ExxonMobil-led Stabroek Block continues to rise.
According to oil analytics firm OilX, the Sophia VLCC (IMO 9776559) loaded two parcels offshore Guyana: just over 705,000 barrels from the Liza field around October 21, and nearly 600,000 barrels of Golden Arrowhead crude from the Yellowtail field on November 4. Vessel tracking data show the tanker en route to China, with an expected arrival in December at a port in Huizhou, Guangdong province.
The shipment is the first cargo including Golden Arrowhead crude bound for China since ExxonMobil began producing the grade in August. Guyana’s previous oil export to China was shipped on the Yuan Peng Yang VLCC, which is taking around two million barrels of Liza and Unity Gold crude to Ningbo in Zhejiang province and is expected to discharge later this month.
Guyana exports most of its crude to Europe, with Panama and the Netherlands among the largest direct recipients, according to months of trade data reviewed by OilNOW. Chinese refiners do not regularly import Guyanese crude due to the long voyage, but when they do, they lift larger volumes than the typical million-barrel cargoes.
Exxon hits 900,000 barrels of oil per day in Guyana as Yellowtail reaches full capacity | OilNOW
ExxonMobil operates the Stabroek Block in partnership with Hess (recently acquired by Chevron) and China’s CNOOC. Production from the block has climbed to about 900,000 barrels per day, with four projects now operating: Liza 1, Liza 2, Payara and Yellowtail.
