Published : 28 Jul 2026, 03:22 AM
Updated : 08 Sep 2026, 09:28 AM
A fire broke out at the Maheshkhali LNG terminal before it became inoperative, State Minister for Power Aninda Islam Amit has said.
On Monday, he said the situation could have turned far worse, as an LNG cargo vessel was near the terminal when the incident occurred.
Moving it to a safe distance helped avert a major disaster, he added.
The terminal, one of two floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs) in Moheshkhali, has remained shut since Jul 21 due to technical problems caused by the incident, disrupting gas supplies nationwide.
Briefing reporters at the Secretariat on Monday, Amit said: “The fire at the FSRU could have led to a much more serious situation.”
He said engineers suspect a boiler explosion initially caused the damage, but other related components may also have been affected.
“Dealing with such an incident is a new experience for everyone -- Excelerate, Summit and the Bangladesh government,” he said.
Amit said full recovery may take another couple of weeks, with partial supply of 280-300 million cubic feet expected next week if repairs progress as planned.
He said one of the two FSRUs being out of service has nearly halved imported LNG supplies.
