No fewer than eight vessels carrying about 164,000 metric tonnes of petroleum products are expected at Nigerian ports following fresh import approvals issued by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority.
Findings from the Daily Shipping Position obtained on Sunday showed that the incoming cargoes include 82,000 metric tonnes of Automotive Gas Oil, popularly known as diesel, and 81,882 metric tonnes of Premium Motor Spirit, also called petrol.
The vessels are scheduled to discharge at ports in Lagos, Delta, and Cross River states.
According to the shipping data, four diesel-laden vessels are expected at the Kirikiri Lighter Terminal in Lagos.
The vessel HUDSON arrived at KLT Phase 2 on May 8 carrying 25,000 metric tonnes of diesel, while ALINDA berthed at KLT Phase 3A on the same day with 10,000 metric tonnes.
Another tanker, PINARELLO, arrived at KLT Phase 2 on May 9 with 20,000 metric tonnes of diesel. Also, the vessel LESTE was expected at KLT Phase 3A on May 10 carrying an additional 27,000 metric tonnes of the product.
For petrol imports, the document showed that UM BALWA was expected at KLT Phase 3A on May 10 with 32,000 metric tonnes of PMS.
At Koko Port in Warri, Delta State, AFRICAN MARVEL was scheduled to arrive on May 10 carrying 20,000 metric tonnes of petrol, while KINGIS was billed to berth at the AYM Shafa terminal with another 15,000 metric tonnes of PMS.
In Calabar, Cross River State, SL AREMU was expected to arrive on May 9 with 14,882 metric tonnes of petrol for importer North West.
The document further revealed that discharge operations had already commenced for some vessels that arrived earlier in the week, while others were expected to begin offloading immediately after berthing.
Industry stakeholders said the fresh imports could improve fuel availability and strengthen distribution across depots nationwide.
However, some operators argued that petrol importation should be suspended to allow the Dangote Petroleum Refinery fully meet Nigeria’s domestic fuel demand.
Most of the incoming cargoes are expected at Lagos terminals, which remain the country’s busiest hubs for imported petroleum products.
The latest imports also highlight Nigeria’s continued dependence on imported refined products despite increased local refining capacity from the Dangote refinery and other domestic facilities.
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority recently issued licences to six marketers for the importation of 720,000 metric tonnes of petrol.
The marketers include NIPCO, AA Rano, Matrix Energy Group, Shafa Energy, Pinnacle Oil and Gas, and Bono Energy.
According to findings, NIPCO is expected to import 120,000 metric tonnes, AA Rano 150,000MT, Matrix 150,000MT, Shafa 120,000MT, Pinnacle 120,000MT, and Bono 60,000MT.
The approvals came despite earlier claims by the regulator that Nigeria no longer required petrol imports because the Dangote refinery could sufficiently meet local demand.
The agency had maintained that no import licences were issued in the first quarter of 2026 due to improved domestic refining capacity.
However, a senior NMDPRA official clarified on Thursday that fuel importation was never banned, insisting that energy security remains the agency’s top priority.
According to the official, a combination of imported and locally refined products would help prevent supply shortages and ensure market stability.
The debate over fuel importation has continued to generate tension between the regulator and the President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, who has repeatedly criticised the issuance of import licences.
Dangote had previously accused former NMDPRA chief executive, Farouk Ahmed, of sabotaging local refining efforts by approving excessive import licences despite sufficient local production capacity.
The businessman also petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission in December 2025, alleging that Ahmed spent millions of dollars on the overseas education of his children.
