Dangote fuel exports skyrocket as foreign refineries shutdown for repair
FILE: Dangote Refinery
… turning to alternative source for fuel.
The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has lately exported more fuel to foreign nations as Saudi Aramco and others in the Middle East Gulf close refineries for maintenance.
A senior officer at the Dangote refinery told our correspondent on Monday that the $20bn Lekki-based plant exported large volumes of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol), aviation fuel, and diesel to other countries in August.
The official, who spoke in confidence as he was not authorised to speak with the press, said, “We export PMS, AGO (Automotive Gas Oil or diesel), and Jet A1 (also known as aviation fuel).”
Our correspondent gathered that the Dangote refinery had supplied two long-range cargoes of fuel to the Mideast Gulf region between June and July. According to Argus Media, a heavy refinery turnaround season in the Mideast Gulf is expected to exacerbate an already tight gasoline market in the fourth quarter, prompting key regional suppliers to boost imports.
“Saudi Arabia, which has already shut down two of its refineries, is preparing to take additional facilities offline in the coming months. Aramco’s 460,000 barrels per day Satorp refinery in Jubail is due for a 60-day shutdown in November-December, while maintenance is also planned at the Riyadh refinery in the fourth quarter,” Argus said
The upcoming turnaround plans come on the back of earlier maintenance at Aramco’s facilities, including the 400,000 b/d Jizan refinery, where the reformer unit has been taken offline since July. Adding to the supply strain, Aramco’s 400,000 b/d Yasref refinery in Yanbu—a joint venture with Sinopec—is currently operating its reformer at reduced rates.
Kuwait’s state-owned Kuwait National Petroleum Company also plans to shut several units at its 490,000 b/d Mina Abdullah refinery for a 30-day maintenance period starting October 1. Additional pressure may come from India, where the end of the monsoon season is expected to boost domestic demand, further reducing export volumes.
With regional output lagging, the Mideast Gulf is increasingly turning to alternative sources, with imports of gasoline surging to a seven-month high lately, especially from northwest Europe, according to ship-tracking data from Vortexa. The Mideast Gulf’s overall gasoline imports reportedly jumped to 1.03 million tonnes in July, up by 35 per cent from June, marking the highest monthly volume since January. Imports remain elevated in August, indicating continued shortfalls in domestic output.
Saudi Arabia has sharply increased its gasoline imports, bringing in 478,000 tonnes of the motor fuel in July compared to just 144,000 tonnes in June. The United Arab Emirates also stepped up its buying, importing 864,000 tonnes in August, surpassing the 648,000 tonnes received in July. It was added that a total of 291,000 tonnes of gasoline — roughly 78,000 b/d — arrived in Saudi Arabia from European ports, the highest volume since December 2024.
Meanwhile, Argus reports that operational issues at the 650,000-barrels-per-day Dangote refinery are likely to persist until early September, but the refinery denied having operational issues, saying it was planning to scale up to 700,000 bpd in December.
“The Dangote refinery had previously supplied two LR cargoes to the Mideast Gulf region when the markets were tight in June-July. If economics align and its residual fluid catalytic cracker issues are resolved, flows from Dangote could emerge…” the report said.
It was disclosed that premiums for gasoline cargoes offered by Mideast Gulf refineries have strengthened, with Pakistan’s state-owned refiner PSO—a major gasoline importer in South Asia—receiving offers at premiums of $7–12/barrel to the Mideast Gulf 92R spot assessment for cargoes loading for July-September.
It was learnt that the latest European Union sanctions on India’s Nayara Energy, a regular supplier to Aramco, have temporarily disrupted the company’s access to at least one cargo per month. Though Nayara Energy has resumed gasoline exports, the recent cargoes are heading to Oman’s Sohar, traders said. The Indian firm has also cut run rates at its 400,000 b/d Vadinar refinery after it became increasingly difficult to send products to both domestic and export markets.
In February, the Dangote refinery said it sold two cargoes of aviation fuel to Saudi Aramco. The President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, announced that the refinery recently achieved a significant milestone by successfully exporting two cargoes of jet fuel to Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest oil producer and a leading integrated oil and gas company globally.
Dangote said the refinery is reaching the ambitious goals it set for itself as it ramps up production. “We are reaching the ambitious goals we set for ourselves, and I’m pleased to announce that we’ve just sold two cargoes of jet fuel to Saudi Aramco,” he said in February, adding that since its production began in 2024, the refinery has steadily increased its output.
Some weeks ago, he disclosed that the oil refinery had begun exporting PMS to other countries of the world. According to him, between June and July 2025, the refinery exported up to 1 million tonnes of petrol.
“Today, Nigeria has actually become a net exporter of refined products. From the beginning of June to date (July 22), we have exported about 1 million tonnes of PMS within the last 50 days,” he said. It is believed that the shutdown of the Mideast Gulf refineries would be an export boost to the Dangote refinery.
