Long queues at refuelling stations as storm damages Bangladesh FSRU, hits supply

Many stations remain closed while others get gas at far less than half the pressure required, an owners’ leader says

The CNG refuelling stations across Bangladesh have been hit by a severe crisis after Cyclone Remal damaged a Floating Storage Regasification Unit used for supplying imported liquified natural gas two weeks ago.

Most of the more than 500 stations do not get gas at the pressure required for sale, while the others remain closed with no supply, which has led to long tailbacks of CNG-run vehicles at the stations.

Operator Summit LNG said last week its FSRU was ready to discharge the LNG it had carried before heading to Singapore or the Middle East for necessary repairs.

It hoped the FSRU, which acts as a floating LNG import terminal, can return to the country within three weeks after repairs.

A broken stray steel structure weighing "hundreds of tonnes" had hit the FSRU when Cyclone Remal lashed Bangladesh in May, it added, causing significant damage.

"The impact sheared the vessel's outer hull, approximately one metre below the waterline, leading to water ingress into the ballast tanks," Summit LNG said.

Cyclone Remal brought gales and heavy rain to the coastlines of India and Bangladesh, leading Summit LNG to halt operations of its FSRU in Moheshkhali after it was hit by a stray pontoon on May 27.

With a regasification capacity of 500 million standard cubic feet per day or MMscfd, the FSRU is one of Bangladesh's two floating LNG import terminals that supplies gas to the national grid.

A halt to its operations also led to a supply crunch at industries, power plants and kitchens.

At Southern Refuelling Station in Dhaka’s Tejgaon, the queue was around half a kilometre long

Microbus driver Nuruzzaman, who gave a single name, said he queued at 3pm and was able to get near the front around 4:30pm. It would take half an hour or more for him to get the gas.

“It is taking three to four hours to refuel over the past week. And even after waiting for so long, I won’t get gas with more than Tk 300. At normal times, when the pressure is higher, the cylinder can take up to Tk 700 worth of gas,” he said.

Car driver Sayedur Rahman said he came for gas before noon after two stations in Mohakhali and near DOHS returned him. “And here I’ve been waiting for three hours.”

The station was using only two of its eight nozzles because of the low pressure of gas.

“When the pressure is lowered below 4 psi (pound per square inch), we close the station. The pressure is supposed to be 15 psi. We need to keep the station closed for two to three hours a day. The clients are suffering while our sales have more than halved,” said its Assistant Manager Foyzur Rahman Biplob.

Satata Refuelling Station in Mohakhali was closed while there were long queues at Clean Fuel Filling Station, SR Enterprise and Royal Filling Station.

According to the Rupantorito Prakritik Gas Company, there are 606 approved CNG refuelling stations across the country, but 525 are currently operational. In contrast, there are 275,462 CNG vehicles, which are locally converted, as of April.

Apart from this, the number of imported taxi cabs and CNG-powered buses of BRTC is 40,383. Besides them, BRTA said that there are 193,242 CNG-powered auto-rickshaws.

A large number of these vehicles are dependent on refuelling stations for fuel.

Mustafizur Rahman, a ride-sharing driver, said his car’s cylinder should be filled at least twice a day. But for the past week, the car has not been able to get gas properly.

"I went to Abdullahpur to get gas a little while ago, but police did not allow me to wait there on the road. I have been here for an hour. Trip cannot be given if gas cannot be filled. I am in dire straits."

A driver named Shahidullah came to Evercare Hospital in the Bashundhara Residential Area with an ambulance from Dhaka's Dohar. He left the patient and came to Nikunja to fill gas.

Shahidullah said with anger, "I have been suffering so much for gas for the past few days, sometimes I think I should give up driving."

CNG refuelling stations outside Dhaka are also in crisis due to no gas in the line.

At three refuelling stations in the Madhabdi area of Narsingdi on Saturday, there were long queues of vehicles waiting for gas. Gas supply has been stopped at another station.

As the driver Faisal Ahmed was waiting to fill his car with gas at Islam CNG Filling Station in Madhabdi, he said that he had filled his car from a gas station in the Bishwa Road area on his way to Dhaka from Brahmanbaria. He ran out of gas on the way.

“There’s a big line here, I have been waiting for almost an hour with passengers.”

Bangladesh CNG Filling Station and Conversion Workshop Owners Association said that almost all the refuelling stations in the country have this problem due to reduced supply of gas.

Its Secretary General Farhan Noor Bhuiyan told bdnews24.com that the gas pressure in the line must be 15 psi to give gas to the car from the station. This pressure is not available at any station. That created the crisis.

“The problem is the same in almost all parts of the country except some industrial areas. Gas is our main raw material, if its supply is not sufficient we cannot go into production.”

Farhan said that when Titas Gas authorities were contacted about the issue, they said it would take at least two more weeks to solve the problem.

Harunur Rashid Mollah, managing director of Titus Gas Transmission and Distribution Company, did not return calls for comments.