Chattogram: The country’s lone oil refinery, Eastern Refinery PLC, is set to resume its operations tomorrow. Mamunur Rashid Khan, Deputy General Manager (Operations) of Eastern Refinery PLC, confirmed the development to BSS today.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, a shipment of crude oil has arrived in the country, allowing the refinery to restart its refining activities. If everything goes as planned, operations will commence after 5:00 pm tomorrow, with an initial daily production target of approximately 3,500 tons. The lower production rate is due to necessary technical adjustments, which will be gradually increased over time.
Mamunur Rashid Khan further informed that the ship ‘MT Nynemia,’ carrying crude oil from Saudi Arabia for the refinery, anchored at Kutubdia in Cox’s Bazar today, containing 100,094 metric tons of crude oil. This shipment is critical for the refinery to resume and maintain operations.
According to Eastern Refinery sources, the current stock of oil is sufficient for refining operations to continue for approximately 20 to 25 days. The next shipment of crude oil is expected to arrive after May 20, ensuring continued production without disruption. If the new shipment is loaded in Saudi Arabia between May 10 and May 12, supply will remain stable. The next shipment may also contain around 100,000 metric tons of crude oil, depending on the vessel’s capacity.
Md. Sharif Hasnat, Managing Director of Eastern Refinery PLC, stated, “A shipment of crude oil has arrived in the country today. According to the plan, refining activities will commence at maximum capacity starting tomorrow.”