By Firdaus Jibril
The Dangote Petroleum Refinery increased its crude oil imports from African producers in July as the share of Nigerian crude in its feedstock declined, according to crude tracking data from Argus Media.
The data revealed that Nigerian crude accounted for 71 percent of the refinery’s feedstock in July, down from 85 percent in June.
The 650,000-barrel-per-day refinery processed an estimated 595,000 barrels of crude per day in July. While this was lower than the record 660,000 barrels per day received in June, it remained above its average processing level from last year.
The refinery’s crude mix included Nigerian grades such as Bonny Light, Qua Iboe, Escravos, Forcados, Amenam, Erha, CJ Blend, and Utapate, alongside imports from Libya, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, and Cameroon.
According to the report, Libya’s Esharara crude has become a regular fixture in the refinery’s feedstock, with July marking the third consecutive month the facility received the grade.
Another one-million-barrel cargo of Esharara is expected to arrive this week.
The data also indicated that the refinery has not received a cargo of United States West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude since March.
Average crude deliveries to the plant reached 550,000 barrels per day in the first half of 2026, compared to 410,000 barrels per day throughout 2025.
Since April, crude receipts have averaged about 625,000 barrels per day, reflecting higher refinery utilization following the completion of maintenance on one of its crude distillation units earlier this year.
Argus Media also noted that the refinery processed a slightly heavier crude mix in July, with an average API gravity of 35.8 degrees compared to 38.7 degrees in June, while the sulfur content remained unchanged at 0.15 percent.
Crude arrivals scheduled for August include one-million-barrel cargoes of Amenam, Qua Iboe, Utapate, and Bonga, which are expected to sustain refinery operations in the coming weeks.