N279bn petrol cargoes arrive amid Dangote-NNPC legal battle

Six vessels carrying approximately 212.7 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) and Automotive Gas Oil (diesel), valued at nearly N279bn at Dangote Petroleum Refinery’s current gantry prices, are arriving at Nigerian ports this week.

This is even as the Dangote refinery awaits the decision of a Lagos Federal High Court on its request to stop the importation of refined petroleum products. A move that is being challenged by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and other oil marketers.

The vessels, whose arrival details were captured in the daily shipping position report of the Nigerian Ports Authority obtained by our correspondent on Wednesday, are berthing at various terminals across the Apapa and Tincan port complexes in Lagos, as well as the North West Petroleum and Gas terminal in Calabar, with discharge expected to run through June 19.

According to the report, out of the six vessels, five are laden with PMS, while one is carrying diesel. Together, they represent a combined import tonnage of 157,000 metric tonnes: 132,000 metric tonnes of PMS and 25,000 metric tonnes of AGO.

At Dangote refinery’s latest gantry price of N1,250 per litre for PMS, the approximately 183.3 million litres of petrol aboard the five vessels are valued at roughly N229.1bn, while the 29.4 million litres of diesel, priced at N1,700 per litre at the Dangote gantry, add roughly N50bn, bringing the combined cargo value to approximately N279.1bn.

Going by the current prevailing exchange rate of an average of N1,360 to the dollar, the total shipment is worth about $205m, showing the effect of the country’s fluctuating foreign exchange rate.

The report shows that the largest single fuel delivery belongs to the MT Mosunmola (IMO: 9160932), a 144-metre tanker managed by Intership, which is carrying 45,000 metric tonnes of PMS destined for the Bulk Oil Plant in Apapa. The vessel is expected to berth on Friday, June 12.

Close behind is the MT ST Ilhaam (IMO: 9278480), carrying 37,000 metric tonnes of PMS for discharge at the New Oil Jetty, managed by Rehdor Logistics Solutions. It has the furthest estimated time of arrival among the six vessels and is expected to arrive on June 19.

The MT Leste (IMO: 9285720), the only diesel carrier in the group, arrived on Tuesday, June 9, berthing at the KLT Phase 3A terminal at Tincan under the management of Lighthouse Maritime Agency Nigeria Limited, with 25,000 metric tonnes of AGO aboard.

Also, the MT Bora (IMO: 9276004), heading to KLT Phase 3A at Tincan and managed by Peak Shipping Services Limited, arrived on June 10 with 17,000 metric tonnes of PMS. Similarly, the MT Stellar (IMO: 9288928), managed by WAPS, is due at the North West Petroleum and Gas terminal in Calabar on June 12 with a further 17,000 metric tonnes of PMS.

The MT Lausu (IMO: 9241827), carrying 16,000 metric tonnes of PMS and managed by White Waters Agency Nigeria Limited, arrived as far back as June 3 but remains at anchorage awaiting berthing at Tincan Port in Lagos.

The arrival of the sizeable fuel import consignment comes against the backdrop of a legal dispute involving the Dangote refinery.

The refinery, which has positioned itself as Nigeria’s primary domestic source of PMS and AGO since it began fuel sales in 2024, has dragged the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited before a Lagos Federal High Court, asking it to stop the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority from the continued issuance of import licences to petroleum marketers, a practice Dangote argues undermines the refinery’s domestic refining efforts and investments.

The founder, Aliko Dangote, has repeatedly accused certain oil marketing companies and regulatory officials of frustrating the refinery’s local operations by sustaining an import-dependent supply chain, even as the 650,000-barrel-per-day refinery ramps up production.

The refinery had, in recent months, reduced its PMS gantry price, now at N1,250 per litre because of the Middle East crisis, in what stakeholders describe as a deliberate effort to compete with imported products and drive depot prices downward across the country.

Recently, the Dangote refinery said it had increased its crude oil processing capacity to 700,000 barrels per day in a performance test conducted by the process licensors. In a statement, the company said this marked a significant milestone in the facility’s operational expansion and further cemented its position as the world’s largest single-train petroleum refinery.

The increase sees the refinery surpass its nameplate capacity of 650,000 bpd, underlining the facility’s engineering capability and operational efficiency. The achievement, it said, demonstrated the refinery’s ability to process additional feedstock while optimising performance across its production units.

The Vice President for Oil and Gas at Dangote Industries Limited, Devakumar Edwin, explained that the ramp-up is part of a broader and ambitious strategy to more than double capacity to 1.4 million bpd within 30 months, positioning the facility as potentially the largest refinery globally.

According to Edwin, the expansion is expected to boost Nigeria’s energy self-sufficiency, eliminate the country’s dependence on imported refined products, and strengthen its position as a regional export hub. He pointed out that the refinery’s growth trajectory reflects a deliberate move toward continental and global refining dominance, not just domestic supply sufficiency.

Owned by Nigerian industrialist Aliko Dangote, the refinery commenced fuel production in 2024 and has steadily increased output of petrol, diesel, aviation fuel, and other refined petroleum products.

The facility has rapidly established itself as a major supplier to both domestic and international markets, exporting refined petroleum products to several African countries and key European destinations, including the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Italy, and the Netherlands, among others. It has supplied petrol to the American market and jet fuel to Saudi Arabia and other destinations.

The refinery is said to have played a pivotal role in stabilising fuel supplies in Nigeria, helping to eliminate dependence on imported petroleum products and easing pressure on the country’s foreign exchange reserves.

Also, the NNPC had told the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos that petroleum products from the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE were sold at “significantly high and fluctuating market prices”, warning that granting the refinery’s requests could hand it monopoly control of Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector.

The national oil company stated this in a counter-affidavit in opposition to Dangote refinery’s originating summons in Suit No: FHC/L/CS/857/2026 before the Federal High Court, Lagos Judicial Division.

Similarly, marketers under the aegis of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria supported the NNPC, saying competition must be allowed in the petroleum sector to prevent what it called price exploitation, saying multiple sources privy would bring about a reduction in fuel prices.

In the counter-affidavit, a copy of which was obtained by our correspondent, the NNPC asked the court to dismiss or strike out the suit on grounds that it was incompetent, premature, disclosed no cause of action, and constituted an abuse of court process.