Nigeria’s 650,000 bpd Dangote refinery has exported its first gasoline cargo to the United States, marking a milestone in the plant’s growing supplies to the North American market.
According to Argus, around 300,000 barrels of gasoline were loaded onto the Gemini Pearl at the refinery’s jetty in Lagos on 26 August.
The vessel, which may have been chartered by trading firm Vitol, is headed to the US with a likely discharge at the port of New York or New Jersey, Kpler data show.
This is the first Nigerian gasoline shipment to the US but not the first time Dangote, which claims to be unperturbed by President Trump’s new tariff, has supplied refined petroleum products to the country.
Earlier this year, the refinery exported more than 1.5 million barrels of aviation fuel to US ports between March 1 and 24, creating storage pressures in hubs such as Houston and New York Harbor.
Dangote has also been active in Asia. In June, Mercuria loaded 90,000 metric tons of petrol from the plant; its first gasoline shipment outside Africa.
That same month, the refinery exported two LR2 cargoes to the Mideast Gulf and one to Singapore in July.
Why Dangote looks beyond Africa
Analysts say the refinery’s growing focus on overseas markets reflects favourable margins and global arbitrage opportunities.
Such arbitrage could even extend to Europe, where Dangote would reverse historical trade flows.
European refiners have traditionally been net suppliers of gasoline to West Africa, particularly Nigeria.
Since coming onstream, the refinery has already helped cut Nigeria’s fuel import bill.
But as of March 2025, it was still meeting less than half of the country’s daily fuel demand.
Dangote aims to refine 100% Nigerian crude by the end of the year and boost capacity to 700,000 bpd once upgrades are completed.
Argus also reported that the refinery’s Residual Fluid Catalytic Cracking (RFCC) unit was shut in August for about 10–15 days due to high metals content in its low-sulphur straight-run (LSSR) stream.
A Singapore-based trader told Argus that the latest US shipment “may reflect an opportunistic arbitrage move,” pointing to the recent spike in US Atlantic Coast RBOB prices and declining inventories in PADD 1.
For Dangote, however, the strategy remains simple. As a spokesperson of the company said in June:
“We sell our products to those who are willing to give us the highest price. It’s the buyer’s right to take the products to any destination of their choice.”
