Chattogram: An oil tanker carrying 100,000 tonnes of crude oil from Saudi Arabia is expected to reach the outer anchorage of Chattogram Port on the night of May 5. Officials have confirmed that the tanker has already crossed the Red Sea.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the MT Ninemia, which is transporting the crude oil, navigated through Yemen’s Houthi-controlled coastlines and bypassed the war zone of the Strait of Hormuz. It has now reached safe areas in the Arabian Sea on its journey towards the Bay of Bengal. The ship departed from Yanbu port on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast at 6 am on April 21, after being loaded overnight, as stated by Md Sharif Hasnat, managing director of state-run Eastern Refinery Plc.
The arrival of the crude oil shipment is significant as it will allow Eastern Refinery Limited (ERL) to resume its operations, which were temporarily halted due to a shortage of crude oil. However, Hasnat also mentioned that another ship, Nordics Pollux, carrying 100,000 tonnes of crude oil, is currently stuck at the Ras Tanura port in Saudi Arabia’s eastern region. This delay is attributed to the virtual closure of the Hormuz Strait.
The state-run entity refines approximately 1.5 million tonnes of crude fuel annually, accounting for about 20 percent of Bangladesh’s annual demand of 7.2 million tonnes. According to Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) officials, 92 percent of the country’s petroleum is imported, while the remaining 8 percent is sourced locally and processed from condensates.
The transportation sector is the largest consumer of petroleum in Bangladesh, using 63.41 percent of the fuel. This is followed by the agriculture sector, which requires 15.41 percent, primarily for irrigation. The remaining volume is utilized for power generation (11.67 percent), industrial production (5.96 percent), and household needs (nearly 1 percent).
In terms of demand, diesel ranks highest among petroleum products, followed by furnace oil, petrol, octane, kerosene, and jet fuel used in the aviation sector. During the last fiscal year of 2024-2025, BPC officials reported sales of 68,35,341 tonnes of fuel.