Odita Sunday 
Dangote Refinery Offers Major Boost for Maritime Jobs and Indigenous Shipping — Experts
LAGOS – The Dangote Refinery presents Nigeria with a monumental opportunity to generate maritime employment and strengthen local content participation, provided the nation prioritizes marine transportation for refined products. This was the consensus among maritime experts who emphasized the need for Nigerian-owned vessels to take the lead in distributing the refinery’s output.
Captain Tajudeen Alao, National President of the Nigeria Association of Master Mariners (NAMM), described the refinery as a transformative engine for wealth creation. He noted that its deep-water access allows for seamless international exports and provides a strategic base for coastal shipping to domestic ports such as Port Harcourt, Warri, Calabar, and Lagos.
“The refinery is perfectly positioned to support shuttle services, which will create jobs across the entire maritime value chain, from vessel ownership and crewing to port operations and support services,” Alao stated.
NAMM has urged policymakers to shift from heavy reliance on road transport to sea-based evacuation. Captain Alao explained that a single 5,000-tonne tanker can replace approximately 150 trucks, significantly reducing road congestion and maintenance costs. He called on financial institutions to provide targeted funding for active maritime operators to capitalize on the 600 vessel calls already recorded in the refinery’s first year.
Furthermore, mandatory procedures such as tanker vetting and ship inspections offer new avenues for Nigerian mariners, surveyors, and legal professionals to align with international standards.
Master mariner and maritime expert, Capt. (Dr) Michael Ifesemen, noted that while the influx of foreign vessels poses a challenge to some local operators, it serves as a critical incentive for Nigerian ship owners to upgrade their fleets.
“The increased vessel traffic has expanded the demand for skilled marine services. As more ships call at the refinery, the requirement for high-level technical manpower grows, which should be met by trained Nigerians,” Ifesemen said.
Regional Integration and Sustainable Revenue
Experts also highlighted the potential for the refinery to dominate West African coastal trade, thereby strengthening the Cabotage regime and reducing dependence on foreign shipping. Ifesemen pointed out that coastal transshipment often requires barges—many of which are constructed locally—further boosting the domestic barge-building industry.
The experts concluded that supplying the refinery with domestic crude and exporting refined products will generate significantly more revenue than exporting raw crude oil. They stressed that strict enforcement of existing maritime laws is essential for Nigeria to fully reclaim its maritime domain and ensure that taxable income from these operations remains within the country.
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