Nigeria has recorded a dramatic surge in petroleum products exports, with seaborne shipments growing seven-fold since 2023, according to a new report by Vortexa Analytics.
The growth, underpinned by the commissioning of the Dangote refinery in January 2024, has positioned Nigeria as an increasingly significant player in the international petroleum products market, especially as supplies from other regions face challenges.
Data from Vortexa shows that seaborne petroleum product shipments from Nigeria averaged 561,000 barrels per day (b/d) in the second quarter of 2026 (2Q26), compared with an annual average of just 79,000 b/d in 2023. Of those shipments, 350,000 b/d were exports in 2Q26, up from an annual average of 46,000 b/d in 2023.
The increased supply of refined products from Nigeria’s largest refinery has reduced imports, boosted exports and enhanced the country’s self-sufficiency in petroleum products. Before the Dangote Group commissioned the new facility, Nigeria’s existing state-owned refineries shipped less than 100,000 b/d of seaborne petroleum products to various parts of the country and abroad.
Product shipments expanded notably in two phases: first after Dangote’s operations began, and again following the completion of maintenance and expansion work in February 2026, which coincided with supply constraints stemming from disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.
The maintenance completed in February 2026 increased the Dangote refinery’s crude oil distillation capacity from 650,000 b/d to 700,000 b/d. With higher throughput at Dangote and product trade through the Strait of Hormuz disrupted, total shipments of petroleum products (both intra-Nigerian and exports) increased significantly.
Intra-Nigerian shipments climbed to 211,000 b/d in 2Q26, up from 81,000 b/d in 2025 and 33,000 b/d in 2023. By distributing petroleum products to other parts of Nigeria, Dangote has reduced the country’s reliance on imports. Nigeria imported nearly 400,000 b/d of petroleum products in 2023, but seaborne imports fell to less than 130,000 b/d in 2Q26.
Nigeria’s seaborne petroleum product exports to Europe averaged 130,000 b/d in 2Q26, up from 40,000 b/d in 2025 and 15,000 b/d in 2023, according to Vortexa data. Exports to other African countries also increased, reaching nearly 120,000 b/d in 2Q26, up from 89,000 b/d in 2025.
Looking ahead, the Dangote Group is working on plans to double its capacity by adding a second 750,000-b/d crude oil distillation unit by 2028.