Nigeria Continues Fuel Imports Despite Boost from Dangote, Port Harcourt RefineriesNigeria’s importation of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, has risen to 2.3 billion litres between September 11 and December 5, 2024, despite the commencement of operations at the Dangote and Port Harcourt refineries.
According to a report from the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), fuel imports have continued even after promises by oil marketers and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) to halt imports. The Dangote Refinery, with a production capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, and the Port Harcourt refinery both began producing and distributing petrol in mid-September and late November 2024, respectively.
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However, data from the NPA indicates that fuel imports have remained consistent despite the ramping up of local PMS production. Over the past three days alone, 52,000 metric tonnes of petrol were imported. Since one metric tonne equals approximately 68.74 million litres, this means over 68 million litres of petrol entered Nigeria in just three days.
The imported petrol arrived aboard three vessels and docked at key Nigerian ports, including Apapa Port in Lagos, Tin Can Port in Lagos, and Calabar Port in Cross River State. On December 3, 2024, a vessel named Binta Saleh carrying 12,000 metric tonnes (about 15.86 million litres) berthed at Apapa Port. The ship was managed by Blue Seas Maritime and handled at the Bulk Oil Plant terminal.
The following day, December 4, 2024, the Shamal ship delivered 20,000 metric tonnes (around 26.44 million litres) of petrol to Tin Can Port. This shipment was managed by Peak Shipping Agency at Terminal KLT Phase 3A. Another vessel, Watson, is scheduled to bring in 20,000 metric tonnes of refined fuel to Calabar Port by 4:52 pm today, with Kach Maritime overseeing the operation at Ecomarine Terminal.
This continued importation of petrol comes despite an agreement between the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) and Dangote Refinery for direct sales of petrol from the refinery. Additionally, in October 2024, the Federal Government announced that marketers would now be allowed to directly source petrol from Dangote Refinery, effectively ending NNPC’s monopoly as the sole off-taker of the refinery’s petrol.
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