According to data from vessel tracking and two sources with knowledge of the situation, Vitol, a top global oil trader and Sunoco North American fuel distributor took delivery on Monday of the first U.S. gasoline imports from Nigeria's newly built Dangote refinery.

The tanker Gemini Pearl's delivery marks an important milestone for the refinery that produces 650,000 barrels per day. Energy market participants were waiting to see if its production would meet strict U.S. Motor Fuels Standards.

According to a source and data from the ship tracking system, Vitol bought 320,000 barrels worth of gasoline on board Gemini Pearl, which was owned by Geneva-based Mocoh Oil. The majority of this cargo was sold to Sunoco. Vitol did not disclose how much of the cargo it sold to Sunoco, and how much Vitol will keep.

Data from vessel tracking showed that the vessel discharged in New York Harbor at Sunoco Linden's Linden facility.

Sources requested anonymity in order to discuss sensitive details. Vitol and Sunoco didn't immediately respond to comments.

The first person to identify the parties involved is a.

Mocoh Oil did not comment immediately outside business hours in Switzerland, despite the fact that earlier this year it confirmed a partnership between Dangote and Mocoh Oil to export products.

The Dangote Refinery, which is one of the largest in the world, has changed the global energy flow by accelerating production sharply over the past year. The refinery is expected to reduce Nigeria's imports of fuel, and export its surplus to Europe.

The ship MH Daisen is expected to arrive around the New York Harbor Area on September 19 according to a source and the ship tracking data.

Shell and Glencore did not respond immediately.

Sources said that Vitol had also bought from Mocoh, a third shipment of gasoline produced by the Dangote refinery. The vessel Seaexplorer is expected to deliver this cargo in the New York Harbor region around September 22.

Sources said that the market conditions could affect the final destination of undelivered cargoes.

The cargoes are not the first to arrive, but they will be the last for some time. IIR Energy, a company that monitors the industry, said in a report earlier this month that the refinery's unit producing gasoline could be closed for up to two months for repairs.

Dangote has not responded to earlier requests for comment about the outage. (Reporting from Shariq Khan, New York; editing by Sonali Paul.)

(source: Reuters)