Several vessels carrying imported Premium Motor Spirit, commonly known as petrol, recently docked at various seaports in Nigeria over a three-day period. A document from the Nigerian Port Authority revealed that approximately 123.4 million liters of PMS were offloaded at two seaports to bolster fuel supply across the country.
The arrival of these vessels follows reports indicating that oil dealers are looking to supplement the supply from the Dangote Petroleum Refinery due to its current inability to meet domestic demand. The refinery, based in Lekki, is producing below its promised capacity of 25 million liters per day, resulting in the need for additional imports.
Previous imports of about 141 million liters of PMS were reported in September, prompted by price hikes in petrol produced by the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and distributed by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited. The deregulation of the downstream oil sector has created opportunities for PMS imports by dealers in response to market demands.
The vessels carrying fuel landed at the Apapa port in Lagos and the Calabar port in Cross River State, with a total of 92,000 metric tonnes being offloaded, equivalent to approximately 123.4 million liters of petrol. Marketers with approved import licenses are permitted to bring in PMS, subject to rigorous testing protocols to ensure compliance with quality standards at various stages of the supply chain.