Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC) has appointed global energy trading firm Vitol to market Uganda’s Pearl Sweet oil.
The announcement confirms that Uganda’s crude will enter international commercial markets starting in early 2027.
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni named the crude blend “Pearl Sweet” on September 2, 2026.
Pearl Sweet is classified as a medium-to-heavy sweet crude with a high conversion yield profile.
The crude will be extracted from the Tilenga (operated by TotalEnergies) and Kingfisher (operated by CNOOC) Development Areas in the Albertine Graben, which are projected to reach a combined peak production of 230,000 barrels per day.
Export crude will be transported via the 1,443-kilometer East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) to the Port of Tanga in Tanzania for ocean export.
The Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, Dr. Monica Musenero, emphasized that the appointment marks Uganda’s transition from project development to commercial market delivery.
“Vitol’s global reach, trading expertise and logistics strength will help us place this crude with the right refiners and maximise value for Uganda when exports begin in early 2027,” Dr. Musenero said.
The marketing contract builds on an existing partnership established on August 6, 2026, when UNOC, the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC), and Vitol signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a regional energy hub at the Port of Tanga.
The strategic location of Tanga Port provides direct access to refining markets across Asia and the Middle East while creating a key trade corridor for landlocked East African nations.
Vitol has also partnered with UNOC on Uganda’s sole petroleum product supply framework and signed a USD 2 billion financing facility to support domestic energy infrastructure projects.
Kieran Gallagher, Head of Vitol Asia, noted that Pearl Sweet’s yield profile makes it attractive to Asian refining complexes, anticipating strong global demand upon market entry.
