Crude oil shipments from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited’s (NNPC) trading arm surged in April 2026, with delivery records showing that over 1.03 million metric tonnes—equivalent to about 6.8 million barrels or 1.08 billion litres—were supplied to Dangote Oil and Gas Company Limited during the month.
Data on tanker vessel movements, obtained by The PUNCH on Tuesday, indicated that these volumes were delivered across eight separate cargoes managed by NNPC Trading. This highlights the state oil firm’s pivotal role as a primary feedstock supplier to the 650,000 barrels-per-day Dangote refinery.
The shipments drew from major Nigerian crude streams, including Anyala, Bonga, Odudu, Forcados, Qua Iboe, and Utapate, and were routed via the refinery’s Single Point Mooring systems, SPM-C1 and SPM-C2.
According to the records, five of the eight cargoes have been fully discharged, while three remain in progress—either awaiting berthing or completion—signaling a steady inflow of crude to the refinery.
This ramp-up in deliveries comes amid persistent concerns from the refinery over supply shortfalls; Dangote requires 19 cargoes per month to operate at full capacity. This follows a recent report that Nigeria imported 55.39 million barrels of crude oil in January and February 2026.
A breakdown of the deliveries shows that Sonangol Kalandula initiated the April supply chain with 123,000 metric tonnes from Anyala, arriving on April 5, berthing on April 8, and departing on April 9.
Next, the Advantage Spring supplied 128,190 metric tonnes from Bonga, arriving April 11 and completing discharge by April 13.
Other completed shipments included:
- Barbarosa with 125,000 metric tonnes from Odudu
- Sonangol Njinga Mban with 129,089 metric tonnes from Bonga
- Nordic Tellus with 139,066 metric tonnes from Forcados, finished by April 17
Three further cargoes are still pending:
- Advantage Sun, carrying 142,327 metric tonnes from Bonga, has arrived but not yet berthed
- Advantage Spring, transporting 120,189 metric tonnes from Utapate, is still to discharge
- Sonangol Kalandula, with 126,471 metric tonnes from Qua Iboe, is also awaiting completion
Altogether, NNPC Trading’s April cargoes total 1,033,332 metric tonnes of crude, a volume that industry analysts describe as evidence of a “strong and sustained supply commitment” to the Dangote refinery.
In addition to crude oil, Dangote refinery received multiple imports of refined products and blending components from international suppliers during April.
Notable among these shipments:
- Seaways Lonsdale delivered 37,400 metric tonnes of blendstock gasoline from Immingham, UK (handled by Vitol) between April 18–19
- Augenstern supplied 37,125 metric tonnes of Premium Motor Spirit from Lavera, France (April 8–9)
- Emma Grace brought 37,496 metric tonnes of PMS from Mongstad, Norway
- LVM Aaron delivered 36,323 metric tonnes from Lome, Togo
- Egret discharged 35,498 metric tonnes of naphtha from Rotterdam (April 16–18)
Pending shipments include Mont Blanc I, carrying 36,877 metric tonnes of blendstock gasoline from Antwerp, Belgium, and Aesop, expected to deliver 130,000 metric tonnes of residue catalytic oil from Singapore later in April.
Beyond NNPC Trading, other international and domestic traders also supported refinery operations. Highlights include:
- Yasa Hercules delivered 273,287 metric tonnes of crude from Corpus Christi, US
- Front Orkla supplied 264,889 metric tonnes from Ingleside, US
- Navig8 Passion shipped 496,330 metric tonnes from Cameroon
Domestic supply contributions saw Harmonic deliver nearly 993,240 barrels from Ugo Ocha, Aura M supply 1 million barrels from Escravos, and an additional 651,331 barrels arrive from Anyala.
Operational records show that most vessels berthed within one to two days of arriving and departed soon after unloading, reflecting improved efficiency at the refinery’s offshore terminals.
Located in Lekki, Lagos, the Dangote refinery is Africa’s largest single-train facility, with a nameplate capacity of 650,000 barrels per day. The refinery is expected to significantly reduce Nigeria’s reliance on imported petroleum products by processing domestic crude into petrol, diesel, aviation fuel, and other products for the local market.
NNPC Limited, via its trading arm, remains central to supplying crude under evolving commercial arrangements amid ongoing reforms in Nigeria’s downstream oil sector.
Earlier this month, Dangote Group President Aliko Dangote told Bloomberg that the refinery received 10 crude cargoes from NNPC in March, compared to an average of five monthly since late 2024. Of the March shipments, six were paid for in naira and four in dollars under the supply agreement between the refinery and NNPC.
Nigeria doubled crude supply to Dangote Refinery in March as the country sought to stabilize fuel availability following disruptions to Middle East shipments caused by the Iran war. Last month, they gave us six cargoes with payments in naira and four cargoes with payments in dollars, Dangote noted.
