CHATTOGRAM, May 8: Eastern Refinery Limited (ERL), the country's only state-owned oil refinery, resumed full operations on Friday morning after remaining shut for 23 days due to a shortage of
crude oil.
Managing Director Sharif Hasnat said refinery operations restarted at 8am after fresh crude supplies reached Chattogram following weeks of disruption linked to tensions in West Asia.
The suspension began in mid-April when crude shipments failed to arrive for nearly two and a half months. Delays at Saudi ports, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the regional conflict involving Iran and Israel disrupted the supply chain, forcing the refinery to halt production as reserves dropped below operational levels.
A Chinese vessel carrying 100,000 tonnes of crude oil from Saudi Arabia anchored at the outer anchorage of Chattogram port on Wednesday. From Thursday morning, six lighter vessels arranged by Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC) began transferring the crude from the mother vessel near Kutubdia to the refinery.
BSC Managing Director Mahmudul Malek said the shipment had left Saudi Arabia's Yanbu port on 21 April and arrived in Chattogram on 6 May. It marked the first crude oil arrival since 18 February.
Officials said another tanker carrying 100,000 tonnes of crude oil is expected to reach Chattogram on 20 May after departing Fujairah port in the United Arab Emirates on 10 May. Two additional crude carriers are also scheduled to arrive later this month to stabilise supply.
Meanwhile, another vessel, MT Nordic Pollux, carrying an equal quantity of crude oil, remains stranded at Saudi Arabia's Ras Tanura port because of restrictions linked to the Hormuz Strait situation.
Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation sources said the country requires around 7.2 million tonnes of fuel oil annually, with nearly 92 per cent imported. ERL refines about 1.5 million tonnes of crude oil each year, meeting roughly one-fifth of national demand through products including petrol, diesel, octane, kerosene, furnace oil and LPG.
The refinery, established in Chattogram in 1968, is primarily designed to process Middle Eastern crude. Officials said the latest resumption of imports is expected to reduce pressure on costly spot market purchases of refined fuel and help restore stability to the country's fuel supply system.
Bangladesh is also seeking additional diesel imports from India under an existing cross-border pipeline agreement as part of efforts to secure uninterrupted energy supplies amid continuing regional uncertainty.
