Fuel Import Reaches 2.3bn Litres Despite Dangote, Port Harcourt Refineries

Nigeria’s import of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) has risen to 2.3 billion liters from September 11 to December 5, 2024, despite the operational start of the Dangote and Port Harcourt refineries.

This information comes from a document released by the Nigerian Ports Authority.

The continued fuel imports persist, even though oil marketers and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) had committed to halting such imports.

The Dangote Refinery, with a production capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, began operations on September 15, 2024, while the Port Harcourt refinery began production and PMS truckout on November 26, 2024.

Despite the increase in domestic PMS production by the Dangote and Port Harcourt refineries, data from the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) shows that fuel imports have continued.

In the past three days alone, a total of 52,000 metric tonnes of petrol were brought into the country.

With 1,322.76 liters of petrol weighing one metric tonne, this amounts to approximately 68.74 million liters of imported fuel over the three-day period.

The fuel was delivered in three vessels, which berthed at the Apapa Port in Lagos, Tin Can Port in Lagos, and the Calabar Port in Cross River State.

Further analysis of the import document reveals that, on Tuesday, December 3, 2024, a ship named Binta Saleh carrying 12,000 metric tonnes (15.864 million liters) of petrol arrived at the Apapa Port at 8:12 am. The vessel was represented by Blue Seas Maritime and was handled at the Bulk Oil Plant terminal.

On Wednesday, December 4, 2024, another vessel named Shamal brought in 20,000 metric tonnes (26.44 million liters) of petrol, arriving at the Tin Can Port at midnight. The ship was handled by Peak Shipping Agency at Terminal KLT Phase 3a.

Similarly, another vessel named Watson is scheduled to bring in 20,000 metric tonnes (26.44 million liters) of refined fuel today, Thursday, at 4:52 pm, at the Calabar Port. The vessel will be managed by Kach Maritime at the Ecomarine Terminal.

This continues despite the announcement of an agreement between the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) and Dangote Refinery regarding the direct sale of petrol.

It is important to note that on October 11, 2024, the Federal Government announced that marketers would be allowed to lift petrol directly from the Dangote refinery. This move ended the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited’s (NNPCL) exclusive role as the sole off-taker of the refinery’s petrol.