Dangote Refinery eyes 1,000 annual tanker calls as operations expand

By Editor

Dangote Petroleum Refinery’s offshore marine terminal has recorded about 1,100 tanker calls since commencing operations, with approximately 75 vessels now calling at the facility every month.

The refinery expects traffic to rise to between 900 and 1,000 tanker calls annually as it ramps up to full production capacity.

The Head of Port Infrastructure and Marine Operations at Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals, Captain Satendra Singh Rana, disclosed this during a tour of the refinery’s marine facilities for participants in the Global CEO Africa Programme of the Lagos Business School (LBS).

The tour covered the refinery’s gantry, processing units, laboratory, main control room, crude oil storage tanks and other key operational facilities.

Speaking at the refinery’s Landfall Point, also known as the Trestle, Rana said the facility serves as the connection between the refinery and its offshore marine infrastructure.

“We are now clocking about 75 tanker calls a month. We are looking to scale to between 900 and 1,000 tanker calls annually as the refinery reaches full capacity.

“Today, we have recorded approximately 1,100 tanker calls already, changing the energy landscape and maritime economy, bringing Nigeria to the forefront not only through the refinery but also in maritime trade,” he said.

Rana explained that pipelines from the refinery’s offshore Single Point Mooring (SPM) terminals come ashore at the Landfall Point before linking directly to the processing facilities.

He said crude oil delivered by large tankers is discharged at the offshore SPMs and transported through subsea pipelines into storage tanks for refining. After processing, refined petroleum products are pumped through separate pipelines back to the offshore terminals for export or domestic distribution.

According to him, the refinery operates five offshore Single Point Mooring terminals—two dedicated to crude oil imports and three for loading refined petroleum products—allowing crude imports and product exports to take place simultaneously.

Rana noted that the offshore loading system enables the refinery to receive some of the world’s largest crude carriers, which require natural water depths of about 21 to 22 metres, eliminating the need for costly dredging associated with conventional ports.

He disclosed that the largest vessel to berth at the terminal delivered three million barrels of crude oil, while Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) carrying around two million barrels regularly call at the refinery. Suezmax tankers transporting about one million barrels also frequently deliver crude from local and international sources.

He added that the offshore location offers operational advantages, including uninterrupted year-round operations due to the absence of cyclones, typhoons and other severe weather conditions.

Rana said vessels berth directly at the refinery’s Single Point Mooring terminals, where floating hoses connect them to pipelines anchored to the seabed. This eliminates the need for ship-to-ship transfers while supporting efficient crude imports and refined product exports.

The refinery’s offshore infrastructure, he said, forms a key part of its integrated logistics network, supporting large-scale crude oil imports and exports of refined petroleum products.

The Academic Director of the Global CEO Africa Programme at Lagos Business School, Pan-Atlantic University, Enase Akinwuntan, described the Dangote Petroleum Refinery as a landmark industrial project that demonstrates Africa’s capacity to deliver large-scale investments.

He said the refinery, led by Aliko Dangote and financed largely with local resources, reflects a strong commitment to advancing Africa’s industrial development.

According to Akinwuntan, the project extends beyond Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector by showing how private-sector investment can strengthen regional trade and industrialisation under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

He added that refining crude oil locally while exporting refined petroleum products enhances value addition, improves trade balances, reduces dependence on imports and creates new sources of foreign exchange earnings.

Akinwuntan said exposing executives participating in the Global CEO Africa Programme to projects such as the Dangote Refinery provides practical insights into executing large-scale investments and building globally competitive businesses from Africa.

Separately, the refinery recently secured $2.5 billion through a private placement to strengthen its financing position ahead of a planned initial public offering (IPO) and support the next phase of its expansion.

Group Executive Director, Devakumar Edwin, said the fresh capital will help the refinery increase production capacity and expand its footprint across Nigeria’s domestic fuel market and export destinations.

Ahead of the proposed listing, the National Pension Commission (PenCom) granted Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) a special regulatory waiver permitting them to invest pension assets in the refinery’s IPO once it receives the necessary regulatory approvals.

The planned public offering is expected to be one of the biggest transactions in Nigeria’s capital market, with investors closely watching the refinery’s expansion plans and listing timeline.