No fewer than four vessels carrying Premium Motor Spirit, commonly known as petrol, arrived at Nigerian seaports between Friday, October 18, and Sunday, October 20, according to reports by The PUNCH.
The ships delivered about 123.4 million litres of petrol to bolster the nation’s fuel supply. The vessels berthed at ports in Lagos and Cross River State, marking a significant effort to address the country’s fuel demands.
This development aligns with a report that disclosed that oil marketers had planned to import fuel to supplement supplies from the $20 billion Dangote Petroleum Refinery. The dealers had expressed concerns that the refinery, located in Lekki, was not producing enough petrol to meet the country’s needs, reportedly delivering about 10 million litres daily instead of the 25 million litres it had initially promised.
In September, it was reported that dealers imported about 141 million litres of PMS after a hike in pump prices from the Dangote Refinery, a move allowed by the government’s deregulation of the downstream oil sector.
The latest imports arrived at two key seaports: Apapa in Lagos and Calabar in Cross River. The first shipment, carrying 35,000 metric tonnes of PMS, arrived at the ASPM jetty in Lagos on Friday, October 18, at 10:13 a.m., followed by another 37,000 metric tonnes at 3:37 p.m. the same day. A third vessel, delivering 10,000 metric tonnes of fuel, arrived later that afternoon at 3:59 p.m. Meanwhile, at the Calabar port, a vessel carrying 10,000 metric tonnes of fuel docked at the Eco Marine Terminal on Sunday morning at 8:02 a.m.
In total, the four vessels delivered 92,000 metric tonnes of petrol. With a conversion rate of 1,341 litres per metric tonne, this equates to approximately 123.4 million litres of fuel.
When contacted earlier, the spokesperson for the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), George Ene-Ita, explained that marketers with approved import licenses are free to bring in PMS. He emphasized, however, that the products must pass rigorous testing protocols before being distributed.
“The products must meet our testing standards at the ports before they are authorized to offload. We conduct tests both at the origin of the products and upon arrival to ensure they conform to specifications,” Ene-Ita said.
These imports come as Nigeria grapples with fuel supply challenges, despite the opening of the Dangote Refinery. The additional imports aim to stabilize the supply of petrol in the market amid growing domestic demand.
