• South Sudan delivered an initial cargo of about 600,000 barrels of Dar Blend crude to BB Energy under a $100 million prepayment deal.
• BB Energy filed a claim at the High Court of London in November 2025 over alleged non-compliance with delivery terms.
• The court lifted an injunction blocking the sale of a disputed cargo, while the main case remains pending.

South Sudan delivered its first cargo of approximately 600,000 barrels of Dar Blend crude to BB Energy, the company said in a recent statement.

The delivery followed a 2024 prepayment agreement under which BB Energy advanced $100 million to the South Sudanese government in exchange for future crude shipments. The two parties also agreed on a repayment framework supported by a delivery schedule. Authorities are reviewing the terms, and officials plan meetings in Juba to finalize the arrangement.

The company loaded the crude at the export terminal and designated the cargo for international markets. “We now look forward to concluding as soon as possible the global agreement covering the remaining deliveries scheduled under our prepayment arrangement,” said Mohamed Bassatne, CEO of BB Energy.

Mohamed Bassatne, CEO of BB Energy

This development followed months of tensions surrounding a deal signed in February 2024 between South Sudan and BB Energy. According to Agence Ecofin, the pre-financing covered five crude cargoes scheduled for later delivery. BB Energy argued that the government had failed to honor delivery obligations under the contract and alleged that authorities sold part of the crude to other buyers, which, the company said, increased the financial risk tied to its $100 million advance.

In November 2025, BB Energy filed a claim at the High Court of London seeking to suspend the sale of a cargo allocated to another buyer. The British court initially granted an interim injunction blocking the sale. However, in late November 2025, the High Court of London lifted the order after a review hearing and authorized the loading of the crude.

Earlier, the court had conditioned the continuation of the injunction on BB Energy providing a $25 million bank guarantee to cover potential costs linked to immobilizing the cargo.

BB Energy did not challenge the lifting of the injunction, and the company’s main claim remains pending before the British court. The court will continue to examine the dispute on the merits, and judges could hold a trial later this year if the parties fail to reach a formal agreement. Meanwhile, the parties continue discussions.

This article was initially published in French by Abdel-Latif Boureima

Adapted in English by Ange J.A de Berry Quenum