Oil & Gas Markets: Angola is largest African oil supplier to the United States in the first half

Angola exported 131,000 barrels of oil per day to the United States in the first half of 2014, making it the largest sub-Saharan African supplier of oil products to the country ahead of Nigeria, according to official figures.

Data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) showed that daily oil deliveries from Angola to the United States ranged from a minimum of 94,000 barrels in January and maximum of 178,000 barrels in May.

In Nigeria, which is ahead of Angola in overall oil production in sub-Saharan Africa, saw deliveries to United States fluctuate between 59,000 barrels in February, and 187,000 barrels in April.

On average, the US market bought 113,300 barrels of oil per month from Nigeria in the first half, according to the EIA.

The data also reflects a general decline in American purchases of African oil, although Angola was able to minimise that drop and for the first time since 1973 overtook Nigeria in oil exports to the US market.

analysts have said that the development of alternatives to conventional petroleum technologies, such as shale gas, is behind the drop in African oil imports by the United States.

The biggest suppliers of oil to the United States in the first half of 2014 were Canada, Saudi Arabia and Mexico, and most of the oil purchased comes from countries that are not members of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). (machb/ao)