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Published : 11 Mar 2026, 02:19 AM
Amid ongoing turmoil in the Middle East, Bangladesh is planning to increase diesel imports from India to maintain uninterrupted domestic fuel supply, officials said.
Authorities at the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources noted that diesel constitutes a large share of the nation’s total fuel demand.
To meet the northern region’s requirements smoothly, discussions are under way to expand regular pipeline deliveries from India’s Numaligarh Refinery Limited, in addition to maintaining current supply levels.
Bangladesh consumes roughly 12,000–13,000 tonnes of diesel daily.
On Monday, around 5,000 tonnes began flowing via pipeline from India, scheduled to arrive at the Parbatipur depot in Dinajpur over the next 44 hours.
“Diesel is pumped here at roughly 113 tonnes per hour. By Wednesday evening, the delivery is expected to be complete,” said Muhammad Morshed Hossain Azad, general manager of BPC’s Trade and Operations Division.
The Bangladesh–India Friendship Pipeline, stretching 131km from India’s Siliguri Marketing Terminal to Parbatipur, transports diesel under a 15-year contract signed on Oct 22, 2017.
The pipeline, commissioned in March 2023, has an annual capacity of around 200,000 tonnes, with plans to expand in the future.
Before its launch, diesel was transported by railway wagons from Numaligarh, a method that was slower and costlier.
For 2026, BPC has contracted 180,000 tonnes of diesel from Numaligarh, including 120,000 tonnes guaranteed supply and an option to import an additional 60,000 tonnes as needed.
Typically, shipments of 5,000 tonnes are delivered three to four times per month, totalling 15,000–20,000 tonnes via pipeline.
India’s state-owned Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) also supplies diesel, jet fuel, furnace oil, and octane to Bangladesh via sea routes.
The IOCL delivered 184,118 tonnes in 2023, 351,117 tonnes in 2024, and 132,937 tonnes of fuel in 2025, with 105,000 tonnes agreed for January–June 2026.
Daily diesel demand in Bangladesh meets around 70 percent of the country’s total fuel needs.
Recent Middle East tensions briefly pushed demand close to 20,000 tonnes per day, prompting authorities to limit fuel sales per vehicle.
Current BPC stocks exceed 100,000 tonnes, enough to cover 16–17 days’ demand, ensuring supply stability as new shipments arrive.
“We have opened another LC and are in talks to import more,” Azad said.
“Given that India is our neighbouring country, we will seek to import greater volumes. This is under high-level discussion.”
On Sunday, Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury and Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma discussed a proposal to supply another 50,000 tonnes of diesel over the next four months via the friendship pipeline.
