Bangladesh is moving to secure three more spot LNG cargoes for delivery by mid-August as supply disruptions linked to the Middle East conflict continue to affect long-term liquefied natural gas contracts, forcing the country to rely more heavily on the spot market to maintain fuel supplies for power generation and industry.
State-owned Rupantarita Prakritik Gas Company Ltd (RPGCL) has floated one re-tender and two fresh tenders to procure the cargoes for delivery during the August 1-2, August 5-6 and August 11-12 windows. Each cargo is expected to contain around 3.36 million British thermal units (MMBtu) of LNG, according to a senior RPGCL official.
The cargoes will be delivered to Moheshkhali Island, where they can be discharged at either of Bangladesh's two floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs), which feed imported gas into the national transmission network.
The first delivery window was re-tendered after RPGCL received price offers above its expectations in the original bidding process launched several weeks ago, the official said, without disclosing the quoted prices.
RPGCL, a subsidiary of the state-owned Bangladesh Oil, Gas and Mineral Corporation (Petrobangla), oversees the country's LNG imports and international gas procurement.
If all three tenders are successfully awarded, Bangladesh will have purchased 38 spot LNG cargoes so far this year. Of those, 36 cargoes have been bought since the outbreak of the Middle East conflict, reflecting the country's growing dependence on the spot market as long-term contractual supplies have become increasingly unreliable.
The three planned purchases would also make August the latest month in which Bangladesh has turned to the spot market to secure additional gas supplies amid continuing uncertainty over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important energy trade routes.
The government has significantly increased spot purchases in recent months to prevent domestic gas shortages. Bangladesh bought a record eight spot LNG cargoes in July, while seven cargoes were imported in each of April, May and June to ensure uninterrupted gas supplies for power plants, industries and other consumers.
According to the RPGCL official, Bangladesh has been forced to increase spot procurement because several long-term LNG suppliers from Qatar and Oman have suspended cargo deliveries after declaring force majeure during the regional crisis.
The country imported 49 spot LNG cargoes in 2025, underscoring the growing importance of the volatile spot market in meeting domestic energy demand.
Bangladesh's most recent spot purchases included four LNG cargoes awarded for delivery between July 14 and 15, July 20 and 21, July 23 and 24 and July 26 and 27. The contracts went to Aramco Trading Pte Singapore Ltd, Gunvor Singapore Pte Ltd, BP Singapore Pte and TotalEnergies Gas & Power Ltd at prices of $16.20, $15.885, $16.98 and $16.97 per MMBtu, respectively.
The increased reliance on spot LNG comes as global energy markets remain sensitive to geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. Any disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical transit route for oil and LNG exports from the Gulf, can tighten global fuel supplies, increase freight costs and push up international gas prices, raising Bangladesh's import bill and adding pressure to the country's energy sector.
RPGCL data show that since LNG imports began in 2018, Bangladesh has imported around 37.636 million metric tonnes of LNG through 607 cargoes as of May 2026.
Petrobangla data as of 13 July indicate that Bangladesh's total natural gas supply stood at approximately 2.67 billion cubic feet per day (Bcfd), of which 1.01 Bcfd came from regasified imported LNG, highlighting the increasingly vital role of imported gas in sustaining the country's electricity generation, industrial production and overall energy security.
