Dangote refinery breaks into US market with $18bn fuel exports as global traders snap cargoes

Nigeria’s 650,000 barrel-per-day Dangote refinery has made its first breakthrough into the US market, with global oil traders Vitol and Glencore securing cargoes of petrol that are reshaping global fuel flows.

According to vessel-tracking data, Vitol delivered the refinery’s maiden US-bound shipment of about 320,000 barrels on the tanker Gemini Pearl, which was discharged at Sunoco’s Linden terminal in New York Harbor this week. Vitol sourced the cargo from Mocoh Oil and sold most of it to Sunoco.

A second shipment, sold by Glencore to Shell on the MH Daisen, is scheduled to arrive in New York on September 19, while a third Vitol cargo on the Seaexplorer is due September 22.

The deliveries mark a milestone for the $20 billion refinery after months of startup delays, signalling its ability to meet stringent US motor fuel standards. Analysts say the plant’s exports are set to alter regional trade balances by cutting Nigeria’s import needs while opening new outlets for surplus supply.

However, further shipments could be limited in the short term, with industry tracker IIR Energy warning that the refinery’s petrol unit may shut for two to three months for repairs.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) meanwhile stressed that global producers must invest at least $540 billion annually in oil and gas exploration to sustain output, given rapid declines in shale and conventional fields.

Against this backdrop, Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) Group Chief Executive, Bayo Ojulari, called on African producers to accelerate collaboration and take ownership of their resources. He pointed to cross-border gas infrastructure projects like the Nigeria–Morocco pipeline as examples of how Africa could strengthen energy security and integration.

With traders rushing to secure early Dangote cargoes and NNPC pushing a continental agenda, Nigeria is emerging as both a disruptive force in global energy markets and a rallying point for Africa’s energy independence.