Seven vessels transporting Premium Motor Spirit, commonly known as petrol, are scheduled to dock at various Nigerian seaports between Monday, March 17, and Sunday, March 23, 2025.
This development, reported by The PUNCH on Saturday, is expected to enhance fuel availability nationwide.
A document from the Nigerian Ports Authority, accessed on Thursday, indicates that these vessels will collectively deliver 115,000 metric tonnes of petrol, equivalent to approximately 154.22 million litres, through three key seaports.
This surge in petrol imports follows an earlier PUNCH report revealing a reduction in the landing cost of imported PMS to N797 per litre.
It also comes amid the suspension of Dangote Petroleum Refinery’s naira-based crude oil purchases due to stalled negotiations with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.
Domestic crude refiners have expressed concerns that halting the naira-for-crude agreement undermines efforts to achieve national energy security.
The National Publicity Secretary of the Crude Oil Refinery-Owners Association of Nigeria, Eche Idoko, stated that this move appears to be a deliberate attempt to frustrate the Dangote refinery and reintroduce full-scale importation of refined products.
Idoko said, “Some persons were aggrieved by the continuous reduction in petrol prices by the Dangote refinery and only used monopolistic talks to bring back importation as an alternative.”
Despite increasing local refining capacity, fuel importation remains a key strategy in bridging supply gaps.
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority recently disclosed that the country’s three operational refineries produce less than half of the nation’s daily petrol demand, making imports necessary to meet consumption levels.
Breakdown of Petrol Shipments
The NPA document outlines the arrival details of the vessels, with shipments being directed to Tincan Port in Lagos, Lekki Deep Seaport in Lagos, and Calabar Port in Cross River State.
Among the shipments, the Dangote refinery also imported 654,766 metric tonnes of crude oil within the same timeframe.
The first petrol shipment, a 20,000-metric-tonne consignment allocated to the West African Port Services, docked at the Dangote terminal on Monday, March 17, 2025, at 4:03 pm.
That same day, two additional vessels, each carrying 20,000 metric tonne, arrived at the Tincan and Calabar seaports.
A 20,000-metric-tonne Watson vessel berthed at the Ecomarine terminal on Thursday, March 20, at 3:18 pm, managed by Kach Maritime.
The Binta Saleh ship, carrying 5,000 metric tonnes of PMS, was scheduled to dock at Tincan Port in Lagos on Friday, March 21, at midnight.
A separate vessel with 15,000 metric tonnes of fuel is expected to arrive at Calabar Port on Saturday, March 22, at 11:06 am, under the agency of Peak Shipping.
Another shipment of 15,000 metric tonnes is set to berth at the Eco Marine terminal in Calabar on Sunday, March 23, at 5:10 pm.
Using the industry-standard conversion rate of 1,341 litres per metric tonne, these imports will contribute approximately 154.22 million litres to Nigeria’s fuel reserves.
Meanwhile, depot owners have continued to adjust fuel prices, raising concerns over increasing costs at loading depots.
A review of depot price movements on Thursday indicated that Rainoil Depot raised its price from N835 to N860 per litre, while MEN Depot implemented a similar hike to N860 per litre despite not making sales the previous day.
Pinnacle Depot also increased its price from N835 to N860 per litre, while Aiteo and Nipco adjusted their rates to N856 and N860 per litre, respectively.
These price shifts come as fuel marketers and industry stakeholders continue to navigate the complexities of local production, importation, and regulatory policies affecting the sector.
