Leading international oil traders Vitol and North American fuel supplier Sunoco have received the inaugural shipment of U.S.-bound gasoline from the Dangote refinery.
According to vessel tracking data and two industry insiders, the delivery took place on Monday, marking a significant event for the Dangote refinery, which boasts a capacity of 650,000 barrels per day.
This tanker, named Gemini Pearl, represents a key achievement as market watchers have been eager to confirm when the dangote-refinery-slashes-polypropylene-imports-to-6-year-low/” title=”… Slashes Polypropylene Imports to Lowest Level in Six Years”>refinery’s output would comply with stringent U.S. motor fuel regulations.
One insider and tracking information revealed that Vitol acquired approximately 320,000 barrels of gasoline aboard the Gemini Pearl from Mocoh Oil, a Geneva-based firm, and subsequently sold the majority of this cargo to Sunoco. The exact quantities retained by Vitol versus sold to Sunoco remain undisclosed.
The Gemini Pearl was offloaded at Sunoco’s Linden terminal, located in the New York Harbor vicinity, as confirmed by tracking data.
Sources chose to remain anonymous due to the sensitive nature of the transaction. Neither Vitol nor Sunoco provided immediate comments when contacted.
Mocoh Oil, which earlier this year announced its collaboration with Dangote to export refinery products, did not respond to inquiries outside Swiss business hours.
Following multiple delays during its commissioning phase, the Dangote refinery-one of the largest globally-has significantly influenced international energy distribution by ramping up production since last year. This development is anticipated to drastically cut Nigeria’s fuel import needs while exporting excess volumes primarily to European markets.
Additionally, a second gasoline shipment destined for the U.S. was arranged by Glencore and sold to Shell aboard the vessel MH Daisen, expected to dock near New York Harbor around September 19, according to sources and tracking data.
Glencore declined to comment, and Shell did not respond to requests for statements.
Vitol also secured a third gasoline cargo from Mocoh, produced by the Dangote refinery, with the Seaexplorer vessel scheduled to deliver to the New York Harbor area around September 22, sources indicated.
Market conditions may influence the final destinations of these pending shipments, the insiders noted.
While these deliveries underscore expectations that the Dangote refinery will significantly reshape global fuel trade, they may be limited in the near term. Industry analyst IIR Energy reported earlier this month that the refinery’s gasoline production unit might undergo a two to three-month maintenance shutdown.
Dangote has not responded to previous requests for comment regarding the potential outage.
