FUEL DISTRIBUTION: Dangote Refinery to Receive 415 Tanker Vessels between July to December 2024, NPA Reveals
By DAPO OLAWUNI
The Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Mohammed Bello-Koko has said that the multi billion dollars Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lagos is projected to receive 415 tanker veseels between July to December 2024.
Bello-Koko stated this while commissioning two tugboats, MT IRAGBIJI and MT BAMA in Lagos last week. The two tugboats according to the NPA boss are to be deployed to Dangote Refinery and the Lekki Deep Seaport for safe navigation of vessels.
Giving statistics, Bello-Koko said that so far, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals is showing that 120 Tanker Vessels have been handled in the six months’ period from January – June 2024.
According to him “The Lekki corridor has become a hub for actualizing Nigeria’s quest for self-sufficiency in energy, agricultural growth and trade transshipment capacity with its hosting of a 650,000 Barrels-Per-Day Dangote Refinery, Africa’s Largest Granulated Urea Fertilizer Complex and Nigeria’s first fully automated Deep Seaport which has capacity to berth Super Post Panamax Sized Ships.
“With the data for Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals showing that 120 Tanker Vessels have been handled in the six months’ period from January – June 2024 with a projection for 415 between July to December.
“Whilst Dangote Fertilizers have handled 17 Fertilizer Vessels with a projection for 41 in the corresponding period, we are by this commissioning and ancillary deployments putting mechanisms in place to cater for continuous increase going forward” Bello-Koko stated
Bello-Koko said that the two newly commissioned neoteric 80ton tugboats are the cutting edge series of the 2813 Azimuth Stern Drive (ASD) Model constructed by the world’s leading ship builders (Damen) and they possess exceptional Seakeeping Behavior, Superb Maneuverability of 360° using the Azimuth Thrusters, fire-fighting capability and Outstanding Towing Characteristics which will enhance the maneuvering of large capacity vessels of 300 Metres LOA and above presently calling at our Ports.
In addition to positively affecting the turnaround time of large vessels, their deployment will enable stakeholders leverage the concomitant benefits of economies of scale, especially cost savings.
