KEY POINTS
- Sahara Group commenced bunkering operations in Mauritania after receiving a 2026 government licence.
- Sahara chartered the FT NERVI, a 7,600 DWT tanker, positioned offshore Nouadhibou to supply vessels.
- The operation supplies compliant MGO and 0.50% VLSFO fuels to international and regional vessels.
Sahara Group has moved into Mauritania’s bunkering market, commencing operations after the Government of Mauritania awarded it a 2026 bunkering licence, giving the Nigerian energy and infrastructure conglomerate a foothold in one of West Africa’s most strategically positioned coastal corridors.
As part of the launch, Sahara chartered the FT NERVI, a 7,600 deadweight tonne bunker tanker fully equipped and currently positioned offshore Nouadhibou, to begin immediate supply of ISO 8217:2022 Marine Gasoil and 0.50 percent Very Low Sulphur Fuel Oil to international and regional vessels operating in Mauritanian waters.
The move positions Mauritania as a more reliable refueling point along the Atlantic coast, where vessel traffic between West Africa, North Africa and international trade routes passes through regularly. Sahara’s entry into the market also comes weeks after global bunker suppliers Minerva and Peninsula announced they had secured similar Mauritanian licences.
What the operation means for ports and shipping
Wale Ajibade, Executive Director of Sahara Group, framed the launch around port competitiveness. “By establishing operational bunkering capacity in Mauritania, we are supporting port competitiveness, improving vessel turnaround efficiency, and strengthening the infrastructure that enables regional and international trade,” he said.
The supply of VLSFO directly supports the shipping industry’s compliance obligations under International Maritime Organization sulphur regulations, which cap sulfur content in marine fuel at 0.50 percent globally. Vessels that cannot source compliant fuel close to their trade routes either pay significant deviation costs or risk non-compliance. Sahara’s Nouadhibou positioning reduces both risks for vessels operating across the West and North-West African corridor.
Building on an African maritime footprint
Sahara’s entry into Mauritania builds on what it describes as an established maritime and midstream infrastructure presence across Africa, including the deployment of LPG vessels to support energy access and cleaner cooking initiatives across multiple markets.
Ajibade said the group would bring operational discipline developed across those markets to Mauritania. “Our experience operating LPG vessels and other maritime assets across Africa gives us a deep understanding of what it takes to run safe, reliable, and responsive marine operations,” he said.
The Mauritania bunkering launch forms part of Sahara’s broader stated strategy of deploying integrated midstream infrastructure, maritime assets and trading expertise to support Africa’s growing energy and trade ecosystem. Nouadhibou sits at a natural intersection of West African coastal trade, making it a commercially logical starting point for a bunkering expansion along the continent’s Atlantic maritime corridor.
