Two ships carrying octane, furnace oil arrive in port

One ship was carrying 26,000 tonnes of octane, while the other had 25,000 tonnes of furnace oil

Two ships carrying refined octane and furnace oil have arrived at Chittagong Port amid the fuel crisis in the Middle East.

A ship named “MT Central Star” arrived at the port on Wednesday night carrying 26,000 tonnes of octane from Malaysia, said Chittagong Port Authority Secretary Syed Refat Hamim.

It is currently at the port’s outer anchorage Bravo Anchorage.

Another ship named “MT Easton Queens” arrived at the port’s outer anchorage early on Thursday morning carrying 25,000 tonnes of furnace oil from Malaysia. It is now at the port’s Charlie Anchorage.

Bangladesh needs an average of 6.5 to 6.8 million tonnes of fuel oil annually, of which 20 percent is imported from Middle Eastern countries.

The rest of the oil is brought in refined form from seven other countries, including Singapore, China, India, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

According to data from Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC), the demand for diesel in the country in April is about 400,000 tonnes. There are plans to import another 325,000 tonnes of diesel this month.