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Nearly two weeks after sending its first gasoline shipment to the United States, The Dangote Petroleum Refinery, a $20-billion refinery owned by Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has shipped two more cargoes to the U.S., signaling its growing presence in global fuel markets.
One shipment, sold by Glencore to Shell, is aboard the vessel MH Daisen and is expected to reach New York Harbor around Sept. 19. Another, purchased by Vitol from Mocoh, is on the Seaexplorer and is scheduled to arrive around Sept. 22. The latest deliveries follow the refinery’s first cargo, which arrived at New York Harbor carrying 320,000 barrels.
Capacity expansion targets 700,000 barrels
The refinery, which began operations last year, has steadily increased production. Output rose from 350,000 barrels per day in mid-2024 to 500,000 by January 2025. Dangote’s team is working on upgrades that could lift capacity to 700,000 barrels per day, a move that would strengthen both the refinery’s valuation and its standing in international markets.
Its entry into the U.S. market demonstrates compliance with strict fuel quality standards. Earlier this week, Aliko Dangote said the refinery had exported more than 1.1 billion liters of petrol between June and the first week of September 2025. The milestone highlights the plant’s ability to supply both domestic and foreign markets as it expands its operations.
Dangote delivers petrol to 11 states
On the home front, the refinery has begun direct petrol deliveries to 11 Nigerian states starting Sept. 15. Retail stations will receive fuel at an ex-gantry price of N820 ($0.546) per liter, with delivery provided free for registered stations.
The rollout comes after months of preparatory delays that pushed the launch beyond the August timeline. To support distribution the refinery will deploy its fleet of 4,000 compressed natural gas trucks, gradually expanding nationwide. Dangote Petroleum Refinery estimates the initiative could move up to 65 million liters daily, create 15,000 jobs and reduce annual fuel costs by more than N1.7 trillion ($1.13 billion).
