A crude oil shipment has arrived in Bangladesh after nearly two months, paving the way for the resumption of operations at the state-owned Eastern Refinery.
The tanker MT Ninemia, carrying 100,000 tons of crude oil, reached Kutubdia in Cox’s Bazar on Wednesday afternoon via an alternative route. The vessel is expected to begin offloading oil onto smaller ships after completing port formalities.
Syed Refayet Hamim, secretary of the Chittagong Port Authority, said the tanker arrived around noon and unloading would begin shortly after the necessary procedures are completed.
Officials at Eastern Refinery said the vessel departed from Yanbu port in Saudi Arabia on April 21. The shipment was routed through the Red Sea, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz amid ongoing regional tensions.
Eastern Refinery Deputy General Manager (Planning and Shipping) Mostafizur Rahman said: “The ship reached Kutubdia on Wednesday. It came via the Red Sea coast instead of the Strait of Hormuz. Another shipment of 100,000 tonnes is expected to be loaded in the second week of this month.”
Deputy General Manager (Operations) Muhammad Mamunur Rashid Khan said preparations are complete to restart refining operations.
“If everything proceeds as planned, production will resume within the next one to two days,” he said.
According to Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC), the country’s annual demand for fuel oil stands at around 7 million tonnes, of which about 20% is refined at Eastern Refinery in Chittagong.
Eastern Refinery sources said the last crude oil import was on February 28. Since then, shipments have been disrupted due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz amid conflict in the region.
A vessel named MT Nordic Palang, carrying 100,000 tons of crude oil, remains stranded at Ras Tanura port in Saudi Arabia despite being loaded in early March. Another shipment from Jebel Ali Dhanna port in the UAE, scheduled for March 21, was also cancelled.
Due to the shortage of crude oil, Eastern Refinery had suspended operations at its Zone-1 and Zone-2 units from April 15. These units produce petrol, octane, diesel and kerosene. Currently, only the Zone-3 unit remains operational, producing limited quantities of petrol, octane and bitumen.
