A major crisis facing the re -export of South Sudan oil through Sudanese ports

Follow-up- Al-Zawiya Net- Sources revealed the failure of the negotiations round between Sudan and South Sudan, which was held on June 23 and 24, 2025 in the city of Port Sudan, to reach a final agreement on the export of South Sudan oil through the Sudanese lands and ports.

According to my investigative, there are repeated difficulties facing the two parties and hindering access to understanding, most notably the dispute over the transparency of production data and transit fees, in light of the suspension of southern oil exports since last March.

A senior source in the Sudanese Ministry of Energy said that the delegation of South Sudan expressed reservations about the numbers provided by the Sudanese side, especially with regard to the quantities of crude that is treated in the facilities of “Petco”, which runs the export refinery.

He explained that the main measurement station is located inside the southern lands, which increases the complexity of the accuracy of the data.

The source pointed out that PetCo PetCO pumps about 28 thousand barrels per day, locally consumed by about 14 thousand barrels, and added: “The southern side doubts the accuracy of the data and considers it unreliable, which constitutes the essence of the current dispute.”

South Sudan is concerned about doubts about information

For his part, a source from the Ministry of Energy in southern Sudan told (my investigation) that his country is concerned about the government of Sudan’s exploitation of the deteriorating security conditions in the south to impose additional transit fees, under the pretext of the cost of securing pipelines in the war. He added: “Confidence with the Port Sudan authorities is almost non -existent.”

The Sudanese source explained that there are financial obligations that have not yet been paid, exceeding $ 500 million out of more than 3 billion, noting that some of these dues are reserved in exchange for the operating and maintenance costs of Petco.

Complexes in the fee structure

The current export fees are based on an agreement concluded in 2012, which includes the following:

• $ 1.6 a barrel for processing
• 8.4 dollars via the “Petco” line or $ 6.5 via “Petrodar”
• $ 1 transit fees
• $ 15 in “transitional financial arrangements”

The cost of exporting one barrel is $ 11 via “Petco” and $ 9.1 via “Petrodar”. Juba has so far paid more than $ 2.5 billion out of 3.028 billion, while about $ 550 million remains.

It is noteworthy that the Malaysian “Petronas” company signed a separate agreement in 2022 to export its production from the “Sergas” field in southern Sudan through the “Petroleins” lines for $ 13 a barrel.

Sudan sets new proposals for the agreement

According to an informed source, Khartoum suggested separating the fees into three independent components calculated based on the new operational cost after the line stopped, namely:

• Transit
• Treatment fees determined according to the type of crude
• Export fees include storage and insurance in the port of Bashaer

Technical officials reported that the “Petco” line, which has been stopped since February 2023, has begun to pump primary quantities of crude to the port of Bashaer, but the full return of export require technical reforms and insurance for the conflict -affected areas, in addition to a specific timetable.

The source is my investigative