Dangote Oil Refinery Increases Exports to Middle East as Regional Refinery Shutdowns Create Market Opportunities
Africa’s largest oil refinery, the Dangote Oil Refinery in Lekki, has seen a substantial rise in the volume of refined products exported in recent months, particularly to markets in the Middle East.
A report by Punch newspaper highlighted that the surge is largely due to downtime at other regional refineries, creating a supply gap that the $20 billion Lekki-based refinery has partly filled.
Several major Middle Eastern refiners, including Saudi Aramco, have scaled down or temporarily shut operations for maintenance. For example:
Aramco’s Jizan 400,000 bpd refinery reformer unit has been offline since July.
Its Yasref 400,000 bpd refinery in Yanbu has recently reduced operations.
A senior refinery official, speaking anonymously to Punch, said:
“We export PMS, AGO (diesel), and Jet A1 (aviation fuel).”
In June and July 2025, the Dangote Refinery shipped two long-haul petroleum cargoes to the Middle East Gulf region.
June also saw a 90,000 metric ton gasoline shipment to Asia, marking the refinery’s first petrol export outside West Africa.
As regional refineries scaled down, Saudi Arabia increased gasoline imports from 144,000 tonnes in June to 478,000 tonnes in July.
The United Arab Emirates also boosted purchases to 864,000 tonnes in August, up from 648,000 tonnes in July.
Europe also supplied Saudi Arabia with 291,000 tonnes of gasoline (approx. 78,000 barrels per day), the highest since December 2024.
Upcoming Refinery Maintenance May Increase Demand
Argus Media reports that a significant refinery turnaround season in the Middle East Gulf is expected to tighten fourth-quarter gasoline markets further, prompting major suppliers to increase imports.
“The Dangote refinery had previously supplied two LR cargoes to the Middle East Gulf when markets were tight in June-July.
If economics align and residual fluid catalytic cracker issues are resolved, flows from Dangote could increase,” Argus noted.
Saudi Arabia is also preparing additional shutdowns:
Satorp refinery in Jubail (460,000 bpd): 60-day shutdown in Nov–Dec.
Riyadh refinery: maintenance planned in Q4 2025.
Dangote Refinery Nears Full Capacity
According to Argus, the Dangote Refinery’s output grew to 610,000 barrels per day (bpd) in August 2025, approaching its 650,000 bpd nameplate capacity.
In a recent podcast, Benedict George, Editor of the Argus European Products Report, praised the refinery’s performance:
“The Dangote refinery has been running more reliably and strongly than ever before. Crude receipts and implied run rates have grown month on month. Recent months have seen output above 400,000 bpd, reaching around 610,000 bpd this month.”
The refinery’s sustained high output demonstrates its ability to meet rising regional demand, solidifying its role as a key player in both African and Middle Eastern petroleum markets.
