Second tanker with 100,000 tonnes of crude oil departs UAE for Bangladesh

MT Fossil is expected to reach the docks on May 23

Another tanker carrying 100,000 tonnes of crude oil has departed from the United Arab Emirates for Bangladesh, providing further relief to the country’s energy sector.

The vessel MT Fossil left the Port of Fujairah on Monday evening (Bangladesh time) bound for Chattogram.

Commodore Mahmudul Malek, managing director of the Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC), confirmed the development.

"The vessel finished loading the crude oil at Fujairah port this afternoon and set sail for Bangladesh in the evening," he said.

The tanker is expected to reach the Chattogram port on May 23.

The arrival of fresh supplies follows a severe crisis caused by the conflict in West Asia, which had virtually halted vessel movements through the Strait of Hormuz.

No crude oil shipments had arrived in the country since Feb 18, leading to a near-total shutdown of Eastern Refinery Limited (ERL), the nation's only state-owned refinery, on Apr 14.

The deadlock was broken on May 6 when the tanker MT Ninemia arrived at the Kutubdia channel with 100,000 tonnes of crude oil from Saudi Arabia’s Yanbu port.

Following that shipment, ERL resumed full-scale operations on May 8.

Md Sharif Hasnat, ERL managing director, told bdnews24.com that production is now in full swing.

"Since the resumption of the crude supply, we are refining an average of 4,500 tonnes of crude oil daily," he added.