Dangote Petroleum Refinery has displaced the United States as Europe’s biggest supplier of jet fuel, popularly known as JetA1, for the second consecutive month.
The refinery said this reinforced its growing influence in the international refined petroleum products market. Latest European import data compiled by global commodities intelligence firm Kpler showed that more than 400,000 tonnes of jet fuel produced by the Dangote refinery were delivered to Europe in July.
The volume represented approximately 20 per cent of Europe’s total jet fuel imports during the month, the company said in a statement on Thursday. The development followed a record 466,000 tonnes exported to Europe in June, when Nigeria first displaced the United States as the region’s leading supplier of imported jet fuel.
Europe imported approximately 2.06 million tonnes of jet fuel in July, with Dangote accounting for the single largest share of the imports, ahead of traditional suppliers from the United States and the Middle East.
According to Dangote, the sustained export performance marked a significant milestone for the refinery, demonstrating its ability to consistently supply one of the world’s most demanding fuel markets with aviation fuel that meets stringent international quality specifications.
The statement added that while European buyers have traditionally relied on refiners in the United States, the Middle East and Asia, Dangote’s strategic location on Nigeria’s Atlantic coast, combined with its scale, modern technology and export capability, has enabled it to become an increasingly important source of aviation fuel for European markets.
The refinery’s export momentum has been supported by steadily rising production. Jet fuel loadings at Dangote’s Lekki export terminal reached a record 550,000 tonnes in June, while crude deliveries to the refinery climbed to an all-time high of 660,000 barrels per day, providing the throughput required to sustain growing exports of refined petroleum products to international markets.
The latest figures came amid shifting global energy flows. Although Europe received limited volumes of jet fuel from Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Oman in July, market disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz and evolving geopolitical dynamics have encouraged buyers to diversify supply sources.
Against this backdrop, the Dangote refinery emerged as a “reliable and competitive supplier”, reinforcing Nigeria’s growing importance in global refined products trade.
Speaking on the development, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals, David Bird, said, “Beyond aviation fuel, the refinery has continued to expand exports of diesel, gasoline and other refined petroleum products to destinations across Europe, Africa and other international markets, further strengthening Nigeria’s position as a net exporter of high-value petroleum products.”
