Logistics chaos in China shrinks Dangote’s 4,000-truck rollout to just 450

The highly anticipated deployment of 4,000 trucks fueled by compressed natural gas (CNG) at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery was derailed on Friday due to glitches with Chinese logistics that affected supply schedules.

• The Dangote Petroleum Refinery plans to deploy a fleet of 4,000 compressed natural gas (CNG) trucks to enhance its supply chain efficiency.
• Delays in logistics from China have caused setbacks in receiving the vehicles, with only 450 trucks delivered so far.
• Efforts are underway to mitigate concerns over job losses in Nigeria's fuel distribution sector due to the new CNG truck deployment.

The refinery has only received 450 vehicles thus far, rather than the entire fleet. Its initial goal of 600 will be greatly surpassed by the 150 more that are expected to arrive next week.

This new development was verified by a top Dangote Group official who spoke to Punch under anonymity.

A lack of ships that can carry the cars from China to Nigeria is the reason for the delay, the official disclosed.

“There are not enough ships coming from China to handle 4,000 trucks and 4,000 tankers,” he relayed during the interview.

“200 arrived in the first ship. Another 250 have been offloaded now. We are expecting 150 on the vessel next week,” he added.

This setback comes amidst reports that indicated that the plan would be initiated on the 15th of August 2025.

Thus far, within the last couple of weeks, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery announced that it had begun receiving its fleet of 4,000 compressed natural gas (CNG) trucks.

“The first consignment of trucks recently departed Apapa Port and was formally received at the refinery site in Ibeju-Lekki by the Vice-President of Oil and Gas at Dangote Industries Ltd, Devakumar Edwin,” the refinery revealed via a statement on the 10th of August.

“The fleet of fuel tankers, being imported through Apapa Port, represents a significant capital investment estimated at N720bn,” the refinery noted.

Last week, the Dangote Group held a high-level meeting with major industry players, including the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) and the Natural Oil and Gas Suppliers Association of Nigeria.

The meeting was intended to quell concerns of job losses, as industry players have long sounded the alarm that the refinery’s plans could disrupt the current fuel distribution network in Nigeria.

The meeting revealed plans by the refinery to protect the roles of marketers and tanker drivers, reducing concerns of widespread displacement in the industry.

Dangote refinery cost reduction plan

Despite the setback, the company seems to be dedicated to its ambitious plan, announced in June, to deploy 4,000 CNG-powered vehicles throughout Nigeria.

The plan intends to reduce yearly gasoline distribution expenditures by about ₦1.7 trillion and improve petroleum supply chain efficiency.

The refinery, which is already running at around 85% of its 650,000 barrels-per-day capacity, sees the CNG-powered fleet as a cost-effective and ecologically benign alternative.

Compared to typical diesel trucks, the CNG vehicles are estimated to save distribution costs by roughly 40% while simultaneously cutting carbon emissions, aligning the corporation with global energy transition trends.

SEE ALSO: Dangote refinery takes delivery of 4,000 CNG trucks to drive fuel delivery nationwide

The adoption of CNG vehicles marks a significant milestone for Nigeria's downstream economy.

Dangote's change to alternative fuel-powered logistics aims not just to stabilize the sometimes volatile prices of gasoline delivery, but also to lessen the country's reliance on diesel-powered tankers, which are costly to operate and ecologically damaging.

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