Nigeria’s seaborne petroleum product shipments hit 561,000 barrels per day in Q2 2026, with exports accounting for about 350,000 bpd….
The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has emerged as the major force behind a seven-fold increase in Nigeria’s seaborne petroleum product exports since 2023, according to the latest report by the United States Energy Information Administration (EIA).
The agency said Nigeria’s seaborne petroleum product shipments averaged 561,000 barrels per day (bpd) in the second quarter of 2026, compared with an annual average of 79,000 bpd recorded in 2023.
The sharp increase has strengthened Nigeria’s position in the international petroleum products market, particularly as supply constraints have affected shipments from several other regions.
According to the EIA, the surge was largely driven by the commencement of operations at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in January 2024. Data from energy intelligence firm Vortexa showed that exports accounted for about 350,000 bpd of the 561,000 bpd shipped during the second quarter of 2026, compared with an annual average of 46,000 bpd in 2023.
The agency said higher output from the refinery has significantly altered Nigeria’s petroleum products market by cutting dependence on imports while increasing the availability of refined products for both domestic consumption and international markets.
“With increased supply of petroleum products from the country’s largest refinery, imports fell, exports increased, and Nigeria became more self-sufficient in refined petroleum products,” the EIA said.
Before the Dangote Refinery came on stream, Nigeria’s state-owned refineries collectively shipped less than 100,000 bpd of petroleum products, covering both domestic and international destinations.
The EIA said petroleum product shipments rose substantially after the refinery began operations and increased further following the completion of maintenance and expansion works in February 2026.
The expansion raised the refinery’s crude distillation capacity from 650,000 bpd to 700,000 bpd, allowing it to produce larger volumes of refined petroleum products and increasing supplies available for shipment.
The report also linked the rise in total petroleum product shipments to disruptions along the Strait of Hormuz, which created additional demand for refined products from alternative sources.
Meanwhile, intra-Nigerian petroleum product shipments climbed to 211,000 bpd in the second quarter of 2026, up from 81,000 bpd in 2025 and 33,000 bpd in 2023, underscoring the refinery’s expanding role in meeting fuel demand across the country.
