Amidst ongoing supply concerns in the domestic market, another vessel carrying 30,000 tons of fuel oil has arrived in the country.

The vessel, MT Gran Couva, docked on Thursday morning (March 26) carrying 10,000 tons of diesel and 20,000 tons of jet fuel.

The shipment was supplied by the Chinese company Unipec under an existing procurement agreement.

While recent global instability has created uncertainty in supply schedules, stakeholders believe this new consignment will offer some much-needed relief.

According to sources at the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC), the imported diesel will be allocated to the transport and industrial sectors, while the jet fuel will be supplied to the country's airports.

Volatility in international prices and delivery delays have recently strained fuel management.

While 17 vessels were scheduled to arrive this month, eight had arrived previously, with today’s shipment marking the ninth.

Confirming the arrival, BPC Chairman Md. Rezanur Rahman stated, "The vessel carrying diesel and jet fuel arrived this morning as per the pre-determined schedule.

There is currently no fuel crisis, and efforts are underway to collect oil from alternative sources as well."

The BPC typically imports fuel through Government-to-Government (G2G) contracts and international tenders.

The country imports between 6.5 to 6.8 million tons of fuel oil annually.

This includes approximately 1.5 million tons of crude oil, primarily sourced from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

While 20% of the total demand is imported as crude and refined locally, the remaining 80% is imported in refined form from eight countries, including India, China, and Indonesia.

Reports indicate that for the upcoming month of April, there are plans to import 300,000 tons of diesel, 50,000 tons of jet fuel, 25,000 tons of octane, and 50,000 tons of furnace oil via 14 sea vessels and three pipeline parcels.

However, confirmation has been secured for only 110,000 tons of diesel and 20,000 tons via pipeline so far.

Additionally, a schedule has been set for 350,000 tons of diesel and other fuels to arrive across 17 vessels in May.