The country’s only state-owned oil refinery, Eastern Refinery PLC, is on the verge of shutdown due to a disruption in crude oil imports amid the ongoing Iran war, raising concerns over fuel supply stability.
Sources said the refinery has nearly exhausted its crude oil reserves, and production could come to a complete halt within a week if fresh supplies do not arrive.
Located in Patenga, Chattogram, the refinery processes imported crude—primarily Saudi Arabia’s Arabian Light and the United Arab Emirates’ Murban crude—to produce diesel, petrol, octane and other fuels for the domestic market.
Last month, two shipments of crude oil from these countries were scheduled to arrive. However, both vessels were delayed due to the conflict, putting additional pressure on refinery operations.
Eastern Refinery, a subsidiary of Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC), has already begun experiencing production disruptions.
BPC Chairman Md. Rezanur Rahman said operations are being affected due to the shortage of crude oil, although production has not yet fully stopped. “If the situation continues, we may have to suspend production entirely within a few days,” he said.
He added that steps have been taken to import 100,000 tonnes of crude oil from Malaysia. However, uncertainty remains as the supplier has yet to submit the required performance guarantee (PG), delaying the shipment process.
Officials said there is still a possibility that a vessel carrying crude oil could arrive early next month, offering some relief to the strained energy supply chain.
BD Pratidin English/ Jisan
