The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has ramped up fuel exports to international markets as major refining plants across the Middle East face extended shutdowns for maintenance.
Industry insiders confirmed on Monday that the $20 billion refinery, located in Lekki, Lagos, has been exporting significant volumes of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), aviation fuel (Jet A1), and Automotive Gas Oil (diesel) in recent weeks.
According to a refinery official who spoke on condition of anonymity, “We are currently exporting PMS, AGO, and Jet A1 to different countries, taking advantage of the gaps created by refinery closures in the Middle East Gulf.”
Reports from Argus Media indicate that Dangote’s refinery delivered two long-range shipments to the Gulf region between June and July. With Saudi Aramco and other operators preparing to shut down more facilities later in the year, the Gulf gasoline market is expected to tighten even further in the final quarter of 2025.
Saudi Arabia has already halted operations at two of its plants and is preparing to take additional refineries offline. Aramco’s 460,000 barrels per day (bpd) Satorp refinery in Jubail is scheduled for a two-month maintenance shutdown in November and December, while its Riyadh refinery will undergo repairs during the same period. Other plants, including the 400,000 bpd Jizan refinery and the Yasref facility in Yanbu, have also been operating at reduced capacity.
Elsewhere in the region, Kuwait National Petroleum Company is preparing to halt several units at its 490,000 bpd Mina Abdullah refinery for a month-long maintenance starting October 1. India, meanwhile, is expected to increase domestic consumption following the end of the monsoon season, further reducing its export volumes.
This supply squeeze has forced the Gulf to increase gasoline imports, with shipments rising to a seven-month high in July. Data from Vortexa revealed that imports surged to 1.03 million tonnes in July, up 35% from June, marking the highest since January. Saudi Arabia imported 478,000 tonnes of gasoline in July alone, more than triple its June figure, while the United Arab Emirates brought in 864,000 tonnes in August.
Although reports suggested Dangote Refinery faced some operational challenges in August, the company dismissed such claims, stating that it was on track to reach 700,000 bpd output capacity by December.
The export momentum is not entirely new. Earlier this year, Dangote announced that it had successfully sold two cargoes of aviation fuel to Saudi Aramco, while in June and July, the refinery exported around 1 million tonnes of PMS to multiple countries.
Aliko Dangote, President of the Dangote Group, said the refinery is steadily meeting its ambitious goals. “We have now positioned Nigeria as a net exporter of refined petroleum products. Between early June and July 22, we exported nearly 1 million tonnes of PMS within just 50 days,” he stated.
With refinery shutdowns across the Middle East Gulf expected to continue in the short term, analysts believe that Nigeria’s Dangote Refinery is strategically positioned to capture an even larger share of the export market.
