Ghana has taken a significant step toward reviving its domestic fuel production with the arrival of its first shipment of Angolan crude oil at the Sentuo Refinery, following a six-month operational pause.
The cargo was delivered by the Greek-operated Suezmax tanker Nicolaos, which docked at the refinery after loading approximately 500,000 barrels of Palanca crude on April 25.
According to vessel tracking data, the ship was scheduled to offload between May 3 and 5 at the Tema port.
The 120,000-barrel-per-day Sentuo Refinery had halted crude imports shortly after its initial commissioning in 2023.
Industry analytics firm Kpler attributed the hiatus to “financial and political constraints” that delayed full-scale operations.
However, Kpler has confirmed that the recent delivery signals the resumption of crude processing at Sentuo—marking a milestone in Ghana’s push to reduce its dependence on imported refined fuels.
Earlier in February 2025, Ghana imported 500,000 barrels of Nigeria’s Brass River crude, reportedly used for power generation during a temporary shutdown of the West African Gas Pipeline.
Previous imports to Sentuo also included Russian Varandey crude and a single shipment from Côte d’Ivoire’s Baleine offshore field.
As of late 2024, the Sentuo Refinery was operating far below capacity—processing under 20,000 barrels per day—while the state-owned Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), with a capacity of 40,000 barrels per day, remained inactive.
The recommencement of operations at Sentuo is expected to alleviate Ghana’s reliance on imported petroleum products.
In February alone, the country recorded its highest monthly volume of petrol and diesel imports—480,000 tonnes combined.
Nonetheless, Kpler cautioned that any significant decrease in Ghana’s import demand could reduce regional clean tanker activity.
Following the offloading of its cargo, the Nicolaos departed Tema and was last reported heading toward Nigeria, according to AIS tracking data.
Notably, in 2024, another Suezmax tanker, Snow Lotus, had been anchored off the Sentuo Refinery for several months carrying Russian Varandey crude.
It had arrived in February from Lukoil’s Kola floating storage unit in the Arctic—highlighting earlier logistical complications.
The renewed activity at Sentuo points to Ghana’s broader strategy of diversifying crude sources and boosting domestic refining capacity.
This initiative comes amid ongoing global fuel price volatility and the country’s urgent need to strengthen energy security.
