The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has taken delivery of its second-ever crude cargo from Ghana, a move that coincides with a sharp reduction in its purchases from Europe as the plant adjusts its slate ahead of major maintenance.
Industry tracking data showed that the latest shipment, carrying Ghana’s Sankofa grade, arrived in November, the second time the refinery has sourced crude from the country.
The development reinforces expectations that Dangote will continue to prioritise West African and domestic grades as it stabilises operations and prepares key units for scheduled shutdowns.
According to a report by Kpler, crude arrivals into the refinery averaged around 380,000 barrels per day between September and November, about 30 per cent lower than the volumes purchased during the July–August peak.
In November, Dangote’s crude receipts consisted almost exclusively of Nigerian grades, predominantly Bonny Light, followed by Amenam, Forcados, Utapate, and Qua Iboe. Notably, the second-ever cargo from Ghana arrived as well, carrying Sankofa. Looking ahead, we expect Dangote’s crude slate to remain primarily domestic, supplemented by smaller volumes from other West African producers or the United States,” Kpler said.
The decline, it was said, is linked to recurrent outages and extensive maintenance work, including a two-month shutdown of the Residue Fluid Catalytic Cracking unit beginning December 4 and a one-week Crude Distillation Unit outage scheduled for late January.
As Dangote cuts intake, purchases from Europe, particularly from the North Sea and Mediterranean markets, have fallen sharply, making way for more Nigerian and regional West African grades.
