How Nigerian Petroleum Export Works

Nigeria is Africa's largest oil producer and home to the Dangote Refinery — the world's largest single-train refinery — with a nameplate capacity of 650,000 barrels per day. This infrastructure positions Nigeria as a credible origin for export-grade refined petroleum products including Jet A-1 aviation turbine fuel and AGO (Automotive Gas Oil / diesel) to international specification.

Historically, Nigeria exported crude and imported refined products. The commissioning of the Dangote Refinery marks a structural shift: Nigeria is now a refined product export origin for West Africa, Europe, and international markets. Institutional buyers with West African supply requirements now have a viable in-region source for compliant, specification-grade product.

All petroleum export operations in Nigeria are governed by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA). Export operators must hold valid NMDPRA licenses covering trading, export, and handling of refined petroleum products. Without this licensing, no compliant export transaction can be executed.

Simcol Petroleum Nigeria Limited (RC 1969739) operates under NMDPRA licensing as an export-only refined petroleum operator. Our mandate is exclusively export — we do not distribute domestically within Nigeria. This focus ensures all operational infrastructure, documentation processes, and counterparty relationships are calibrated for international export execution.

Jet A-1 Aviation Turbine Fuel is supplied to ASTM D1655 and DEF STAN 91-091 international specifications. These are the primary global standards for aviation kerosene used by commercial airlines, charter operators, military aviation, and into-plane fueling companies. A Certificate of Quality (CoQ) from an independent inspection body (SGS or equivalent) accompanies each cargo.

AGO (Automotive Gas Oil) is supplied to EN 590 and West African Specification (WAF Spec), with a maximum sulphur content of 50ppm — classified as Low Sulphur Gas Oil (LSGO). This specification is compliant with West African import requirements and meets the sulphur thresholds increasingly enforced across Sub-Saharan African markets. Final specification is governed by the Certificate of Quality issued at loading.

Simcol Petroleum operates a Dubai-based execution desk that manages all international buyer engagement, documentation coordination, and transaction execution. Dubai serves as a global petroleum trading hub with established infrastructure for trade finance, inspection coordination, and institutional counterparty engagement across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

All buyer communications, SPA negotiations, documentation review, and execution coordination are handled through the Dubai desk. Nigerian operations handle NMDPRA compliance, refinery counterparty relationships, product sourcing, and loading coordination. This dual-jurisdiction structure is intentional: it aligns international trade finance norms with Nigerian regulatory requirements.

A compliant Nigerian petroleum export transaction involves the following core documents:

• •Sales and Purchase Agreement (SPA) — principal-to-principal, governing product, price, delivery, and inspection terms
• •Certificate of Quality (CoQ) — issued by independent inspector (SGS or equivalent) at load port
• •Certificate of Origin (CoO) — confirming Nigerian origin for customs and regulatory compliance
• •Bill of Lading (B/L) — issued by vessel operator upon loading
• •Commercial Invoice and Packing List — for customs clearance at discharge port
• •NMDPRA Export Permit — confirming regulatory authorization for the specific cargo

Trade finance instruments (Letters of Credit, Documentary Collections) are accommodated within the SPA framework. Buyers requiring LC-based payment structures should indicate this during the initial engagement phase.

Simcol operates a structured buyer engagement process. We do not respond to open solicitations, broker chains, or unverified intermediary approaches. Institutional buyers — airlines, aviation fueling companies, energy trading houses, government procurement entities, and downstream distributors — engage directly through our buyer request intake process.

The engagement sequence is: buyer request submission to readiness verification to execution desk review to SPA issuance to execution. Buyers are expected to provide product, volume, delivery window, destination, corporate identity, and indicative trade finance pathway at the point of initial engagement.