After Declaring Nationwide Distribution, Dangote Refinery Exports Petrol Cargo Outside Africa

• Dangote Petrochemical Refinery is the largest refinery in Africa and one of the largest globally
• The refinery started production last year, and the export of the refined fuel started shortly after to nearby countries
• Now, Dangote refinery is set to achieve another milestone by shipping petrol cargo to another continent

Legit.ng journalist Ruth Okwumbu-Imafidon has over a decade of experience in business reporting across digital and mainstream media.

Dangote Petrochemical Refinery is finally set to export refined petrol outside of the continent for the first time since it commenced operations in 2024.

This will mark a major milestone in the history of Africa’s largest crude oil refinery, and will be the first time refined crude leaves Africa’s shores to Asia.

Based on information from a source, commodity trader Mercuria will load a 90,000 metric ton shipment of refined petrol from the refinery on 22 June 2025.

The cargo will leave Nigeria, bound for Asia, Reuters reports.

Dangote Refinery starts exporting petrol

In September 2024, Dangote Petrochemical Refinery started operations and has gradually risen to take its position as a significant player in the global market.

The refinery started exporting refined petrol shortly after, but so far, it has kept it within West Africa.

Petrol cargoes have been moved from the refinery in Nigeria to surrounding countries like Ghana, Angola, Cameroon, and as far as South Africa.

These have helped to reduce Africa’s reliance on fuel imports from Europe, and Analysts referred to the latest move as indicative of the refinery's stability and growth.

It is also indicative that the Dangote Refinery can meet Nigeria's fuel production needs, as earlier stated.

Dangote Refinery Exports Fuel to the US

Dangote Refinery began the sale of petroleum products to more international markets shortly after production.

The Dangote refinery exported 1.7 million barrels of jet fuel to the United States of America.

Data from the ship-tracking service Kpler shows that another shipment of over 2 million barrels of jet fuel left Nigeria and arrived at the United States ports.

After the US, Dangote exports to Saudi Arabia

Dangote Refinery has also exported about 130 million litres of aviation fuel to Saudi Arabia in March 2025.

Experts hailed the move, saying the refinery is positioning itself as a key player in the global energy market.

Meanwhile, Nigerians may soon pay more for fuel and other petroleum products. This is due to the sharp spike in global crude prices.

Brent crude price has spiked past $78 per barrel, and experts say that this would translate into a higher pump price of petrol.

This was a result of the renewed hostilities between Iran and Israel in the Middle East, a region that accounts for about one-third of global crude production.

Dangote Refinery exports to Singapore

In related news, Dangote Refinery has exported several batches of low-sulphur straight-run fuel oil to Singapore.

This shows a shift in the trade dynamics, with refined crude now going from Africa to Asia, where it used to draw imports from.

Legit.ng reports that the recent cargo to Singapore will consist of about 85,000MT of low-sulphur straight-run fuel oil and 35,000MT of slurry.

Source: Legit.ng