Nigeria’s Dangote Refinery Ships First Petrol Cargo To U.S.

Global oil trader Vitol and North American fuel distributor Sunoco (SUN.N) received the first U.S. shipment of petrol (gasoline) from Nigeria’s new Dangote refinery on Monday, according to vessel-tracking data and two sources with knowledge of the delivery.

The tanker Gemini Pearl delivered the cargo, marking a significant milestone for the 650,000-barrel-per-day Dangote refinery, whose output energy market players had long awaited to see meet the stringent standards for U.S. motor fuels, according to Reuters.

Vitol purchased about 320,000 barrels of petrol from Geneva-based Mocoh Oil and sold most of the cargo to North American fuel distributor Sunoco.

Meanwhile, the consignment was discharged at Sunoco’s Linden facility in the New York Harbor area, according to ship-tracking data.

Reuters reports that sources, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, confirmed the trades.

Vitol and Sunoco did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Reuters was the first to identify the companies involved.

Mocoh Oil, which earlier this year announced a partnership with Dangote to export refined products, also declined to comment outside business hours in Switzerland.

After several delays, the Dangote refinery, one of the world’s largest, has significantly increased output since last year, reshaping global energy flows.

Meanwhile, the facility is expected to cut Nigeria’s reliance on fuel imports while exporting excess supply, largely to Europe.

A second petrol cargo from Dangote to the U.S. was sold by Glencore to Shell and is being shipped on the MH Daisen, due in New York Harbor around September 19, according to sources and vessel-tracking data. Glencore declined to comment, while Shell did not immediately respond.

Vitol also bought a third cargo from Mocoh, with the Seaexplorer expected to deliver to New York Harbor around September 22.

Sources noted that destinations could shift depending on market conditions.

While these shipments highlight the refinery’s growing influence on global fuel trade, further exports may be delayed.

Industry monitor IIR Energy reported earlier this month that the refinery’s petrol unit could be offline for two to three months for repairs.

However, Dangote did not respond to Reuters’ earlier requests for comment on the outage.

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