South Sudan’s oil ministry revokes allocation of crude oil cargo

JUBA – South Sudan’s ministry of petroleum has revoked the allocation of a crude oil cargo to Triple A Services and Petroleum, citing the local company’s failure to register in the regional and international oil lifting markets.

In a letter dated September 10, 2024, Garang Majak Bol, the undersecretary of South Sudan’s Ministry of Finance and Planning, requested the Ministry of Petroleum to process an allocation of a crude oil cargo for Triple A Services and Petroleum in April 2025.

“I am writing to respectfully request your office to purpose allocation of One (1) Crude Oil Cargo for the month of April 2025 to Triple A Services and Petroleum Ltd as directed by the Minister of Finance and Planning,” the letter, reviewed by Sudans Post, stated without detailing the intended purpose of the allocation.

Triple A Petroleum Limited positions itself as “a locally incorporated company in the Republic of South Sudan and wholly owned by South Sudanese.” The company claims to specialize in petroleum products, gas, and lubricants, offering a wide range of competitive services across various industries.

However, the situation took a turn when a letter addressed to the CEO of Triple A, Atong Amos Agook, was also seen by Sudans Post.

In this correspondence, the undersecretary of the oil ministry officially revoked the allocation of the crude oil cargo. The letter cited the company’s failure to register with regional and international oil lifting markets as the reason for the revocation.

“Ministry of Petroleum, Republic of South Sudan, scrutinizes and ultimately registers potential oil lifting companies through a set of technical requirements, including, but not limited to, checking their presence in both regional and international oil lifting markets, submission of financial statements, approval by the Bank of South Sudan (BSS). Triple A Services and Petroleum Ltd is not registered as one of the oil marketing companies,” Deng’s letter stated.

“Premised on the foregoing, MoP is hereby informing your revered office about the revocation of allocation of one (1) cargo of Nile Blend equivalent to 600,000 bbl due to lack of registration and conflicting schedules,” the letter concluded.

While Sudans Post could not verify any official approval from the oil ministry regarding the cargo allocation, the content of the undersecretary’s initial communication to the company suggests that the ministry had indeed approved the cargo before its subsequent revocation.