JUBA, June 15 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan on Thursday warned of a drop in oil production, saying the conflict in Sudan is slowing the supply of essential equipment required in the oil fields.
Awow Daniel Chuang, the technical advisor in the Ministry of Petroleum, said the production of oil in South Sudan is being constrained by the Sudan crisis and is likely to cause a drop in production as the logistical supply of essential materials is affected.
"Oil cannot run without the critical materials that are required for production because the oil route that we used to rely on, especially in the oil fields, is the route of Port Sudan, and now the crisis in Sudan is not making things simple today, things are very difficult," Daniel told journalists in the South Sudanese capital of Juba during the oil and power conference.
Daniel said South Sudan is exploring different alternative routes to supply the necessary logistics required for the continued production of oil.
The official said the East African country currently produces 170,000 barrels of oil per day.
In April, following the outbreak of conflict in Sudan, South Sudan set up an emergency response team in collaboration with oil-producing firms to ensure continuous production of oil.
South Sudan is the most oil-dependent nation in the world, with oil accounting for almost the totality of exports, and around 60 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP), according to the World Bank. ■
