Amidst concerns over fuel supply disruptions due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, a tanker named “Lian Huan Hu” carrying 27,000 metric tons of diesel from Singapore has reached the waters of Chattogram port. This is the second diesel-laden vessel to arrive within an 11-day span, bringing relief to the country’s fuel situation.
Port sources reported that the vessel arrived at the port on Tuesday (March 10) afternoon, and fuel unloading commenced at 7:30 PM. Previously, on Monday, a tanker named “Xiu Qi” had docked at Chattogram port with 27,204 metric tons of diesel. It is anticipated that the addition of this new consignment will improve the country’s fuel oil reserves.
According to sources from the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC), three more diesel-carrying tankers are scheduled to arrive at Chattogram port sequentially within the next five days. Among them, a vessel named “SPT Themis” carrying 30,484 metric tons of diesel is expected to reach the port on March 12.
Additionally, two more tankers, “Raffles Samurai” and “Chang Hang Hong Tu,” are slated to arrive on March 13 and March 15, respectively. Each of these vessels carries approximately 30,000 metric tons of diesel. With these five tankers imported from various Asian countries, a total of 144,205 metric tons of refined diesel will be added to the country’s reserves.
According to BPC’s calculations, the diesel from these five newly arrived tankers can meet at least 12 days of the country’s current fuel demand. However, considering global market volatility, the government reduced the daily diesel supply to 9,000 metric tons starting last Sunday.
If this conservative supply measure is maintained, the new diesel can fulfill approximately 16 days of demand. Currently, existing fuel reserves can meet another 16 to 17 days of need. Therefore, with the addition of these new consignments, it is believed that there will be no concern about meeting approximately one month’s diesel demand for the country.
Masud Parvez, an official from BPC’s Commercial and Operations Division, stated that arrangements have been made for the swift unloading of fuel from the ships despite the war situation. He added that if subsequent vessels arrive on time, the country’s fuel situation will quickly return to normal.
BPC authorities believe that this continuous supply will alleviate the artificial crisis and panic created in the market. The port authority and BPC are working in coordination to ensure normal fuel supply.