Dangote refinery to transport 75% of fuel locally by sea

Dangote refinery to transport 75% of fuel locally by sea

 

Dangote Refinery is set to transport 75% of its local petroleum product supply through sea routes.

Indeed, it said products for Calabar, Port Harcourt, Warri, Apapa and Atlas would mainly move by sea, with road transport reserved for urgent needs.

Vice President of Dangote Industries Limited, Devakumar Edwin, disclosed this in an interview with Arise News.

He said this would ease the pressure on road infrastructure.

This is coming as the refinery began distributing Premium Motor Spirit popularly called petrol on Sunday.

The sea transport option is considered despite the company’s capacity to load 83% of its products by road.

Edwin also said that the shift to sea transportation aimed to reduce the higher costs associated with road distribution.

He said as the largest single-train refinery globally, Dangote Refinery offers both sea and road export options.

He added that the oil firm decided to evacuate nearly all production by sea for strategic reasons.

Edwin said, “We have both exporting facilities by sea and by road. 75% of the production can be evacuated through sea. In fact, now we are ramping up to make it even 100%.

“Anything going to Calabar, Port Harcourt, Warri, Apapa, Atlas can all be taken through the sea. So only what is imminently required by road can be taken.

“But I also have the facility to load 83% of my production through road. We have just built-in flexibility but we can avoid all traffic congestion on the road by evacuating through sea and it will also bring down the cost of transhipment.”

He further noted that most products destined for central Nigeria could be shipped from Port Harcourt and Warri, while those for the East and North-East could be moved from Calabar.

To avoid congestion where Dangote refinery is located, the Lagos State Government has announced that the electronic call-up (e-call-up) system will be activated on the Lekki-Epe corridor from September 23, 2024, after a previously scheduled launch in August was postponed.