Over 123 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, have arrived at Nigerian seaports as four vessels berthed between Friday, October 18, and Sunday, October 20, according to findings. The fuel deliveries aim to bolster nationwide supply, following reports of limited production from the Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
Documents obtained from the Nigerian Port Authority (NPA) revealed that a total of 92,000 metric tonnes of PMS were offloaded at two key ports—Apapa in Lagos and Calabar in Cross River State. This development aligns with earlier reports that oil marketers were planning to import additional petrol to supplement the supply from the $20 billion Dangote Refinery, which is based in Lekki, Lagos.
Oil dealers have raised concerns that the Dangote Refinery is currently producing about 10 million litres of petrol daily, significantly below the 25 million litres it initially promised. Consequently, to meet local demand, importation has been deemed necessary by the marketers. The latest shipments confirm this effort to fill the supply gap, with the importation of 123.4 million litres of petrol through the four vessels.
Analysis of the NPA documents shows that the first shipment, containing 35,000 metric tonnes of PMS, was allocated to West African Port Services and berthed at the ASPM jetty in Lagos on Friday, October 18, at 10:13 am. Later that same day, another vessel carrying 37,000 metric tonnes of fuel, assigned to Intership, arrived at the same jetty at 3:37 pm. A third shipment, carrying 10,000 metric tonnes, docked at 3:59 pm, with Peak Shipping acting as its agent.
The fourth vessel arrived at the Eco Marine Terminal in Calabar on Sunday, October 20, at 8:02 am, also carrying 10,000 metric tonnes of fuel. When converted, the total import amounts to approximately 123.4 million litres of petrol, using a standard conversion rate of 1,341 litres per metric tonne.
In a statement, spokesperson of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), George Ene-Ita, clarified that oil marketers holding valid import licenses are permitted to bring in PMS, provided they comply with regulatory standards. “The products must undergo our testing protocols at the ports. They must meet stipulated standards before offloading,” Ene-Ita said.
He further explained that rigorous checks are conducted at multiple stages, including at the origin of the products and at Nigerian ports, to ensure they meet the required specifications. “Our team is dispatched to inspect the products and carry out tests even before they are brought inland. Additional testing is done when the products arrive to confirm they meet the necessary standards before they are released into the market,” he added.
The recent import activity follows previous efforts by marketers who brought in around 141 million litres of PMS in September after a rise in pump prices from the Dangote Refinery. The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) had facilitated this to stabilize supply amidst concerns over insufficient local production.
Industry experts believe that the deregulation of the downstream oil sector has opened avenues for fair market pricing, which encourages further imports to ensure consistent availability. However, the origin of the vessels that arrived between October 18 and 20 remains unconfirmed, as it is unclear whether they were dispatched by NNPCL or independent oil marketers.
