Dangote Petroleum Refinery’s offshore marine terminal has recorded about 1,100 tanker calls since it commenced operations and currently handles around 75 tanker visits every month.
According to the company, traffic is expected to rise to between 900 and 1,000 calls annually as the refinery reaches full 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 of the Global CEO Africa Programme of the Lagos Business School (LBS).
The visit also took participants through the refinery’s gantry, processing area, laboratory, main control room, a tour of the facility, the crude oil storage tanks, and concluded with a session in the conference room.
The figures underscore the growing scale of marine operations supporting the refinery, which uses a dedicated offshore terminal system to receive crude oil from some of the world’s largest tankers and export refined petroleum products through an extensive subsea pipeline network.
What they are saying
Speaking at the refinery’s Landfall Point, also known as the Trestle, Rana explained that the facility serves as the gateway between the refinery and its offshore marine infrastructure.
- “We are now clocking about 75 tanker calls a month. We are looking to scale to 900 to 1000 tanker calls per year as the refinery is ramped up to full capacity already.“
- “Today we have clocked approximately 1100 tanker calls already, changing the energy landscape and maritime economy, bringing Nigeria to the forefront, not only by the refinery but for the maritime trade as well,” Captain Rana stated.
Rana explained that the Landfall Point is where pipelines from the refinery offshore Single Point Mooring (SPM) terminals come ashore before connecting to the refinery processing facilities.
According to him, crude oil arriving aboard large tankers is discharged at the offshore SPMs before travelling through subsea pipelines into storage tanks, where it is processed through crude distillation as well as secondary and tertiary refining units.
Once refined, finished petroleum products are pumped through separate pipelines back to the offshore terminals for export or domestic distribution.
He noted that the refinery operates five offshore Single Point Mooring terminals, comprising two dedicated to crude oil imports and three used for loading refined petroleum products, allowing crude imports and product exports to take place efficiently.
More insights
Rana said the offshore loading system was deliberately adopted because very large crude carriers require natural water depths of about 21 to 22 metres, allowing the refinery to receive some of the world’s biggest oil tankers without the need for expensive capital or maintenance dredging associated with conventional ports.
- Rana disclosed that one of the largest vessels to berth at the terminal delivered three million barrels of crude oil, while Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) carrying around two million barrels routinely call at the refinery. The terminal also regularly receives one million-barrel cargoes aboard Suezmax tankers from both local and international sources.
- He added that the refinery’s offshore location also provides operational advantages, including the absence of cyclones, typhoons and other severe weather events, enabling marine operations to continue throughout the year.
- According to Rana, ships 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 (STS) transfers, a method commonly used to move cargo between vessels at sea, while providing a proven deepwater operating model that supports efficient crude imports and refined product exports.
The offshore infrastructure forms a critical part of the refinery’s integrated logistics system, supporting both crude oil imports and refined product exports at scale.
Insights from the GCEO Africa Programme
The Academic Director of the Global CEO Africa Programme at Lagos Business School, Pan Atlantic University, Enase Akinwuntan, said the Dangote Petroleum Refinery demonstrates the scale of industrial projects that Africa is capable of delivering and offers a practical example of how local investment can support economic transformation.
- “Led by Alhaji Aliko Dangote and funded with local resources, the refinery symbolizes a bold commitment to advancing Africa’s industrial capabilities,” he said.
Akinwuntan said the refinery’s significance extends beyond Nigeria’s downstream oil sector, noting that it illustrates how large-scale private sector investments can strengthen regional trade and industrialisation under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
He added that refining crude oil domestically while exporting refined petroleum products shows how value addition can improve a country’s trade position, reduce dependence on imports and create new sources of foreign exchange earnings.
According to him, exposing executives participating in the Global CEO Africa Programme to projects such as the Dangote Refinery is intended to provide practical lessons on executing large-scale investments and building globally competitive businesses from Africa.
What you should know
Nigeria’s Dangote Petroleum Refinery has raised $2.5 billion through a private placement as it prepares for a planned initial public offering (IPO) later this year, strengthening its financing position ahead of its next phase of expansion.
The planned IPO remains one of the most closely watched transactions in Nigeria’s capital market, with investors closely monitoring the refinery’s expansion strategy and regulatory developments.
