China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) is driving forward plans for a $7 billion pipeline to carry crude from Niger's Agadem basin to Port Seme in Benin, despite logistical hurdles caused by the Covid-19 pandemic that has delayed shipment of segments.

The company in January shipped the first batch of pipeline segments — 13,000 pieces in total — to Benin from the port of Tianjin in northern China just ahead of the Covid-19 outbreak, which delayed further shipments.

The vessel Saga Voyager, which carried the first batch of pipes, arrived at Cotonou port in Benin in late February.