Nigeria’s Dangote Refinery Makes Historic First Gasoline Export to United States
Global oil trader Vitol and North American fuel distributor Sunoco have taken delivery of the first-ever gasoline cargo from Nigeria’s massive Dangote refinery bound for the United States, marking a pivotal moment for Africa’s largest oil processing facility.
The milestone shipment arrived Monday aboard the tanker Gemini Pearl, carrying approximately 320,000 barrels of gasoline that discharged at Sunoco’s Linden facility in the New York Harbor area. Vitol purchased the cargo from Geneva-based Mocoh Oil and sold the majority to Sunoco, though the exact volume split remains undisclosed.
This historic delivery represents a major achievement for the 650,000 barrel-per-day Dangote refinery, as energy market participants had been closely watching when its production would meet stringent US motor fuel standards. The facility, one of the world’s largest refineries, has dramatically reshaped global energy flows since ramping up output over the past year.
Two additional gasoline cargoes from Dangote are en route to the US, with Glencore selling to Shell on the vessel MH Daisen, expected to arrive around September 19, and Vitol securing a third cargo on the Seaexplorer, due around September 22.
After experiencing startup delays, the Dangote refinery has emerged as a game-changer for global energy trade, expected to significantly reduce Nigeria’s fuel imports while exporting surplus production primarily to Europe. However, the refinery’s gasoline-producing unit may face a two-to-three-month shutdown for repairs, according to industry monitor IIR Energy.
Source: bairdmaritime.com
