By Ayomide Otitoju
Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals this week took delivery of about 250,000 metric tonnes of crude oil and intermediate feedstocks at its Lekki terminal, according to shipping data obtained from the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) on Wednesday.
Vessel movement records show that several tankers berthed at the Dangote terminal carrying crude oil, cracked gasoline, blended stock and condensate/naphtha. The largest consignment—140,187 metric tonnes of crude oil—was delivered by Seaways Montauk, which departed the Port of Ingleside in the United States on January 21.
Other cargoes included 37,025 metric tonnes of cracked gasoline aboard Mostar; 37,455 metric tonnes of blended stock carried by Maersk Trieste; and 35,062.568 metric tonnes of condensate/naphtha on Ellie M II. Another vessel, Archagelos Micheal, was listed without a declared tonnage but was scheduled to load Jet A1 from the refinery.
Total confirmed liquid cargo imports during the period stood at approximately 249,729.568 metric tonnes, comprising crude oil and intermediate refinery feedstocks. Shipping agents involved in the deliveries include West Atlantic Port Services Nigeria Limited, Tera Shipping and Bluestar Shipping Limited.
The imports come amid renewed clarification by the 650,000 barrels-per-day refinery that it does not import finished petroleum products. In a statement, the company dismissed claims that it imports Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), describing such allegations as false and misleading.
Management stated that as a merchant refinery operating under global best practices, it imports only crude oil and intermediate blending components—such as high-sulphur reformates, low-RON condensates and cracked gasoline—which require further processing before meeting regulated market specifications.
“These materials must undergo additional refining before they can be classified as finished fuel,” the company said, noting that the practice is standard in major refining hubs across Europe and Asia.
Dangote Refinery maintained that the only gasoline it supplies to the Nigerian market is Euro 5-compliant PMS, with each batch subjected to strict quality checks. It added that its operations have improved fuel quality in Nigeria and reduced reliance on imported high-sulphur products.
Earlier, the refinery’s Managing Director, Mr. David Bird, reiterated that the $20 billion facility operates a merchant refining model, sourcing crude and feedstocks from the global market to ensure flexibility and maximise value.
He explained that beyond crude distillation, the refinery’s advanced conversion units—such as the Residue Fluidised Catalytic Cracker—enable it to upgrade low-value heavy residues into high-value white products.
“When certain crude grades yield lower volumes of residue, we can import residue feedstocks to keep our conversion units fully utilised. This is a key value driver for the refinery,” Bird said.
The company reaffirmed its commitment to enhancing Nigeria’s energy security and sustaining world-class refining operations.
