Bangladesh is set to receive 5,000 tonnes of diesel from India on Tuesday through the Bangladesh-India cross-border pipeline, the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) confirmed.
The delivery comes amid heightened concerns over fuel availability, triggered by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and panic buying within the country.
BPC Chairman Muhammad Rezanur Rahman said that the shipment is part of an existing agreement under which India supplies Bangladesh with 1,80,000 tonnes of diesel annually through the pipeline from Numaligarh Refinery in Assam.
“The 5,000 tonnes arriving today is a portion of this agreement. At least 90,000 tonnes must be imported within six months, and we expect to complete this quota within the next two months,” he said.
The diesel from India will be pumped directly to the Parbatipur depot in Dinajpur.
Muhammad Morshed Hossain Azad, general manager of BPC’s Commercial and Operations Division, said pumping began on Monday afternoon at a rate of about 113 metric tonnes per hour.
The process is expected to be completed by Wednesday evening, he added.
Bangladesh’s daily diesel demand is around 12,000 to 13,000 tonnes, accounting for roughly 70 per cent of the country’s total fuel consumption. Recent panic buying, however, pushed daily consumption temporarily to 20,000 tonnes, creating supply pressure in major cities.
In response, the Energy Ministry conducted inspections of fuel stock and distribution, noting cases of illegal hoarding and overselling at petrol pumps. Mobile court drives have been carried out in Dhaka to enforce government limits, ensuring fair distribution.
The BPC said the new consignment is expected to stabilise the diesel supply, helping petrol stations resume regular operations and easing concerns over fuel shortages across the country.
The Bangladesh-India pipeline, inaugurated in March 2023, spans 131 kilometres from India’s Siliguri terminal to Parbatipur in Bangladesh and can transport up to 2 lakh tonnes of diesel annually, significantly reducing delivery time and costs compared to the previous rail transport system.
