Several vessels carrying Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) have arrived at Apapa and Tincan Island ports in Lagos, amid growing concerns about fuel supply linked to tensions in the Middle East involving Israel, the United States, and Iran.
Gatekeepers News reports that data from the Nigerian Ports Authority’s latest Daily Shipping Position, seen by Channels Television, shows that five vessels transporting a combined 95,000 metric tonnes of petrol and diesel docked between last Thursday and Sunday.
According to the report, “A vessel named Kingis will be arriving with 15,000MT of PMS via Lister Oil Jetty in Apapa Port on Friday.
“Another vessel, Leste, arrived at Apapa Port through the Bulk Oil Plant Terminal with 20,000mts of diesel on Saturday.
“At Tincan Island Port, a vessel named Savanna arrived through Kirikiri Lighter Terminal Phase 3 on Friday, March 27, 2026, with 16,000MT of PMS, while a vessel named Kobe arrived through KLT Phase 2 with 22,000MT of AGO on Sunday,” the report stated.
The data also indicated that a vessel named Hudson berthed at the New Oil Jetty in Apapa on Friday, March 27, delivering 22,000 metric tonnes of AGO.
The development comes shortly after the Federal Government announced that it had lifted its ban on fuel imports and issued six new licences to marketers.
Last Wednesday, a report by S&P Global disclosed that the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) recently approved licences for the importation of about 180,000 metric tonnes of petrol.
A senior official at the NMDPRA told S&P Global that the move was aimed at addressing a sudden supply gap caused by geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
The decision came only weeks after the regulator maintained that Nigeria’s domestic refining capacity was adequate to meet local fuel demand.
According to the report, “Nigeria has relaxed its gasoline import restrictions for the first time since October by issuing a round of new licences to local marketers, according to an official at its downstream regulator.
“The NMDPRA did not issue import licenses for gasoline in February on the strength of the improved domestic supply then. But the Middle East crisis came, and we have had a shortfall. So to bridge the gap, import licences were issued.”
The marketers granted import approvals include Bono Energy, Pinnacle, AYM Shafa, Matrix, A.A. Rano, and NIPCO, with each authorised to import about 30,000 metric tonnes of petrol.
