An oil tanker carrying 100,000 tons of crude oil is on its way to Bangladesh.
The MT Fossil departed Fujairah port in the United Arab Emirates on Monday and is expected to reach Kutubdia on May 23. Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC) Managing Director Commodore Mahmudul Malek confirmed the information to Dhaka Tribune.
“The vessel carrying crude oil left for Chittagong port on Monday night and is expected to reach Kutubdia on May 23. The oil will then be offloaded through lighter vessels,” he said.
He said another vessel carrying crude oil from Saudi Arabia is expected to arrive in the country toward the end of this month. “However, the schedule for loading oil onto that vessel has not yet been finalized.”
Earlier on May 6, another tanker named MT Ninemia, carrying 100,000 tons of crude oil from Yanbu port in Saudi Arabia, anchored at the Kutubdia Channel.
The vessel reached Bangladesh via an alternative route nearly two months after the outbreak of war involving Iran, Israel and the United States disrupted crude oil shipments.
Before that, the last crude oil shipment of 100,000 tons was imported on February 28.
Due to the shortage of crude oil, the Zone-1 and Zone-2 units of Eastern Refinery in Chittagong were shut down on April 15.
Production at the state-owned refinery resumed on May 8 after the MT Ninemia arrived in Bangladesh with 100,000 tons of crude oil.
