By Ayomide Otitoju
Africa’s richest industrialist, Aliko Dangote, on Saturday hosted the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Bayo Ojulari, on a facility tour of the Dangote Refinery, where officials unveiled major upgrades to the refinery’s marine and port infrastructure.
The technical briefing, held at the refinery’s harbour, was led in part by the Head of Port Infrastructure and Marine Operations, Captain Satendra Singh Rana, who outlined expansion plans aimed at boosting export capacity and positioning Nigeria as a regional energy logistics hub.
Rana disclosed that the company is expanding its urea fertiliser production capacity from three million tonnes per annum to nine million tonnes, a move he said would make it the largest fertiliser facility in the world.
He explained that the current loading process, which relies on trucks transporting about 30 tonnes per trip, will be replaced with a fully automated conveyor system linking the fertiliser plant directly to the jetty to enhance operational efficiency.
According to him, the expansion will include an extension of the harbour and the construction of four additional tanker jetties to handle products such as liquefied petroleum gas, gasoline, gas oil and aviation fuel.
The upgraded port infrastructure is expected to accommodate vessels of up to 250 metres in length — equivalent to about 100,000 deadweight tonnes — while also supporting smaller ships for domestic distribution.
Rana added that the development aligns with Nigeria’s ambition to become a bunkering hub in West Africa, a market currently dominated by other regional ports.
He further disclosed that the harbour, which currently operates at a depth of about nine metres and handles approximately 33,000 tonnes per vessel, is being deepened to 14.5 metres. The upgrade will enable the loading of up to 60,000 tonnes per ship for urea exports and allow larger tankers to berth.
Highlighting the engineering features of the port, Rana said the facility utilises what he described as the world’s only sand-built breakwater — a design he noted is more sustainable, faster to construct and significantly more cost-effective than conventional rock structures. He added that the innovation has attracted academic interest, with universities studying the model for potential application in future port developments.
During the visit, Dangote provided further insight into the refinery’s long-term export and logistics strategy, while Ojulari engaged officials on issues relating to capacity, operational efficiency and scalability.
The visit comes as the Dangote Refinery continues to ramp up production and expand its supporting infrastructure.
