Dangote Refinery Welcomes Fourth Million-Barrel Crude Shipment

The Dangote Petroleum Refinery reached a crucial milestone on Monday, marking the arrival of its fourth shipment, consisting of one million barrels of bonny light crude oil, facilitated by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited. Anticipation lingers as the $20 billion firm gears up to welcome its fifth crude oil shipment shortly.

Reports from the company officials affirm the refinery’s readiness to initiate the production of refined Automotive Gas Oil (diesel) and aviation fuel (JetA1) within this month, following the previous receipt of three shipments of crude oil.

In a statement released on Monday, the company highlighted that this recent one million-barrel consignment was the fourth delivery out of the expected six million barrels, crucial for the world’s largest single-train refinery’s operations.

Akin Omole, the Managing Director of Dangote Ports Operations, previously shared insights at the Dangote Quay, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos, emphasizing the plan to receive four million crude oil shipments by the end of 2023. The remaining two shipments were slated for early January 2024, positioning the refinery for full-scale production.

Upon the complete delivery of the six million barrels, the refinery will undergo its initial run to facilitate the production of diesel, aviation fuel, and Liquefied Petroleum Gas, subsequently progressing to Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) production.

With a capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, the Dangote refinery is poised to meet 100% of Nigeria’s refined petroleum product requirements, boasting a surplus for exportation. The refinery’s self-sufficient marine facility is capable of handling the world’s largest vessels, facilitating the smooth reception of crude oil shipments.

Expressing delight at this significant achievement, Aliko Dangote, the President of Dangote Group, emphasized the project’s importance for the country, outlining plans to further ramp up the refinery to achieve full capacity and eagerly anticipating the delivery of the first batch of products to the Nigerian market.