Dangote Refinery has received the first crude oil shipment at its facility in Lekki, Lagos State. The company explained in a statement on Friday that it received its first one million barrels of Agbami crude grade from Shell International Trading and Shipping Company Limited (STASCO).
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The crude oil has been discharged into the refinery’s crude oil tanks, from the vessel which sailed into the facility’s Single-Point Mooring (SPM). The receipt of the crude oil shipment is a major step towards increasing refining capacity in Nigeria, the company stated.
“The STASCO cargo contained one million barrels from Agbami and sailed to Dangote Refinery’s Single Point Mooring (SPM) where it was discharged into the refinery’s crude oil tanks,” it said.
The company says the inaugural one million barrels of crude supply, which represents the first phase of the six million barrels to be supplied to its refinery by several suppliers, should sustain the initial 350,000 barrels per day needed for the commencement of crude production at its facility.
It also said that the next four cargoes will be supplied by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) in two to three weeks while the final six cargoes will be supplied by ExxonMobil.
President Muhammadu Buhari had in May, 2023, inaugurated the Dangote petroleum refinery.
The Dangote refinery is the largest oil refinery in Africa and the world’s biggest single-train facility and is located in Ibeju Lekki, Lagos, covering a land area of approximately 2,635 hectares.
The 650,000 barrels per day (BPD) refinery comes with a 900 KTPA Polypropylene Plant.
Investogist reported in November that the refinery will be receiving the first cargo of about 6 million barrels of crude oil by December, 2023, citing an interview Aliko Dangote granted to Financial times.
Dangote refinery in the statement on Friday said that “This supply will facilitate the initial run of the refinery as well as kick-start the production of diesel, aviation fuel, and LPG before subsequently progressing to the production of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).”
Nnamdi Maduakor is a Writer, Investor and Entrepreneur
