Dangote Refinery continue to boost fuel exports amid middle east shutdowns

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The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has stepped up fuel exports to foreign markets as Saudi Aramco and other refineries in the Middle East Gulf shut down facilities for maintenance, accordimg to reports.

A senior official at the $20bn Lekki-based refinery confirmed that the plant exported significant volumes of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol), Automotive Gas Oil (diesel), and aviation fuel in August. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said, “We export PMS, AGO (diesel), and Jet A1 (aviation fuel).”

Industry trackers revealed that the refinery supplied two long-range cargoes of fuel to the Middle East Gulf between June and July. According to Argus Media, heavy refinery maintenance across the region is expected to tighten gasoline supply further in the fourth quarter, forcing key Gulf producers to increase imports.

Argus reported, “Saudi Arabia, which has already shut down two of its refineries, is preparing to take additional facilities offline in the coming months. Aramco’s 460,000 barrels per day Satorp refinery in Jubail is due for a 60-day shutdown in November–December, while maintenance is also planned at the Riyadh refinery in the fourth quarter.”

Earlier maintenance also affected Aramco’s Jizan and Yasref refineries, while Kuwait’s Mina Abdullah plant is scheduled for a 30-day maintenance shutdown beginning October 1. At the same time, India is expected to divert more of its supply to meet domestic demand as the monsoon season ends, further straining regional availability.

With supply tightening, gasoline imports into the Gulf surged to a seven-month high in July, hitting 1.03 million tonnes—up 35 per cent from June, according to ship-tracking data from Vortexa. Imports remained elevated through August. Saudi Arabia raised its gasoline imports to 478,000 tonnes in July from just 144,000 tonnes in June, while the UAE boosted volumes to 864,000 tonnes in August from 648,000 tonnes in July. Of this, 291,000 tonnes—about 78,000 barrels per day—arrived in Saudi Arabia from European ports, the highest since December 2024.

While some reports suggested operational issues at the 650,000 barrels per day Dangote plant, the company denied disruptions, insisting it is on track to scale up. “We are planning to increase capacity to 700,000 bpd in December,” a refinery spokesperson said.

Argus added, “The Dangote refinery had previously supplied two LR cargoes to the Mideast Gulf region when the markets were tight in June–July. If economics align and its residual fluid catalytic cracker issues are resolved, flows from Dangote could emerge.”

Earlier in February, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, President of the Dangote Group, disclosed that the refinery sold two cargoes of aviation fuel to Saudi Aramco. “We are reaching the ambitious goals we set for ourselves, and I’m pleased to announce that we’ve just sold two cargoes of jet fuel to Saudi Aramco,” he said, noting that output has been rising steadily since the refinery began production in 2024.

More recently, Dangote confirmed that the plant had expanded into petrol exports. “Today, Nigeria has actually become a net exporter of refined products. From the beginning of June to date (July 22), we have exported about 1 million tonnes of PMS within the last 50 days,” he said.

Analysts believe the ongoing refinery shutdowns in the Middle East Gulf could further strengthen demand for Nigerian exports, positioning the Dangote refinery as a key supplier in the global fuel market.

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