By Ken Afor
The Dangote Petroleum Refinery on Friday took delivery of its fifth shipment of one million barrels of Bonny Light crude oil, supplied by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL).
This milestone marks a major achievement for the refinery, as it gears up to receive its sixth cargo of one million barrels next week, signaling its readiness to commence operations.
The crude oil shipment, which is the fifth delivery out of the anticipated six million barrels, has successfully reached the Single Point Mooring (SPM)-C2 Dangote Offshore Oil Terminal. It was promptly unloaded and transferred to the crude oil tanks at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery facility.
It would be recalled that a few weeks ago, Dangote Refinery received four million barrels of crude.
Mr. Akin Omole, the Managing Director of Dangote Ports Operations, previously informed reporters at the Dangote Quay in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos that the refinery is expected to receive approximately four million crude oil shipments before the end of 2023, with the remaining two million arriving in early January 2024. This significant crude supply will enable the refinery to commence operations successfully.
Upon the complete delivery of the six million barrels, the refinery will be able to initiate its operations and begin producing diesel, aviation fuel, and LPG. Subsequently, it will progress towards the production of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).
This recent development will play a crucial role in addressing the fuel supply challenges faced not only by Nigeria but also by other West African countries.
The Dangote Petroleum Refinery, which is specifically designed to handle Nigerian crude oil, has the capability to process various types of crude oil, including African grades, Middle Eastern Arab Light, US Light tight oil, and crude from other nations.
With a capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, this refinery can not only fulfill Nigeria’s entire demand for refined products such as gasoline, diesel, kerosene, and aviation jet fuel, but also has an excess of each of these products available for export.
