The state-owned Eastern Refinery Limited (ERL) is set to restart its main processing unit from early Friday morning as fresh supplies of imported crude oil are being received at its storage facilities, officials said.
“We have decided to begin operation of the main unit early tomorrow morning,” ERL Managing Director Engineer Md Sharif Hasnat said on Thursday.
He said Bangladesh has imported 1 lakh tonnes of crude oil from Yanbu port in Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea region, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz amid regional supply disruptions. The crude is currently being unloaded from the mother vessel and transferred to ERL storage tanks.
ERL operates four processing units, though only one was previously in operation. The refinery had suspended its full operations on 14 April 2026, due to a severe shortage of crude oil caused by supply chain disruptions in the Middle East.
Officials said crude imports had been affected since 28 February following geopolitical tensions that disrupted shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz.
The refinery is now preparing to resume full operations following the arrival of new shipments. A tanker, MT Ninemia, carrying 1 lakh tonnes of crude, reached Kutubdia anchorage on 4 May, while additional shipments from the UAE are expected to ensure stable supply.
According to Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC), the country’s annual fuel demand is about 72 lakh tonnes, of which nearly 92 per cent is met through imports. ERL refines around 15 lakh tonnes of crude annually, contributing about 20 per cent of national fuel supply and producing 16 types of petroleum products including diesel, petrol, octane, kerosene, LPG and furnace oil.
The remaining demand is met through imports of refined fuel, mainly from India and China.
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