Dangote ramp-up slashes WAF product imports, reshapes clean tanker routes: analysts in International Shipping News 13/06/2026 The ramp-up of Nigeria’s 650,000 b/d refinery has cut imports of clean products to West Africa and is redirecting tanker flows around the region, according to analysts. West African imports of clean refined products fell to 765,000 b/d in May from 997,000 b/d in April, a 23% decline, S&P Global Commodities at Sea(opens in a new tab) data showed June 10. Analysts at shipping association BIMCO reported a higher decrease of 44% over the same timeframe. The drop in import volumes cut ton-miles by 47% year-over-year, lowering the region’s share of global CPP ton-miles from 5.3% to 3.6%, BIMCO said in a June 10 research note. “LR1 and LR2 product tankers recorded the largest declines, down 88% and 78% respectively, and together accounted for 55% of the total ton-miles loss,” BIMCO said. MR product tanker ton-miles fell only 4% year over year during April to May, despite a sharp drop in imports from all major loading regions. A 34-fold increase in volumes from the Americas largely offset the decline, limiting the overall loss, BIMCO said. Historically, the Rotterdam-to-Lagos route was a cornerstone of the MR tanker market; as the Dangote refinery met over 90% of Nigeria’s domestic demand by early 2026, these imports plummeted, analysts at CAS said May 15. “Data indicated a 39% year-on-year drop in Nigerian CPP imports by mid-2025, essentially removing a massive source of employment for MR tankers in the Atlantic,” the CAS analysts said. Platts, part of S&P Global Energy, assessed the rate to carry a 37,000 metric ton cargo of clean products from the UK/Continent to West Africa at an average of $27.95/mt in June 2025, down 14% from June 2024. The rate averaged $36.19/mt June 1-9, 2026, amid wider freight rate support from disruption in the Middle East. Dangote was commissioned in 2024 and hit its 650,000 b/d capacity for the first time in Feb