Dangote Industries’ oil refinery and fertiliser plant has successfully sent its first shipment of petrol by sea, which is a big step for the facility. The shipment, which was about 500,000 barrels, was taken from the refinery to Lagos on a ship called Sabaek, according to official records and tracking data.
Simultaneously, the refinery’s special unit for making high-value fuels like gasoline is increasing its production, according to people who know about it.
Once fully operational, the refinery, which can process 650,000 barrels of oil per day, will change the regional gasoline market and might reduce the need for fuel imports from Europe. The facility has already started to affect crude oil supplies, lowering Nigeria’s surplus.
This development comes after the refinery started using trucks to transport petrol last month. The refinery has already received four shipments of crude oil from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited as part of the naira-for-crude deal, and more deliveries are expected.
Authorities have confirmed that the $20 billion Lekki-based plant will begin selling refined Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) directly to local dealers.
Insiders from the Technical Subcommittee on Domestic Sale of Crude Oil in Local Currency say that more crude oil shipments will be sent to the Dangote refinery in the next few weeks.
