Tank repairs trigger diesel storage crisis in Chattogram

The Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) is facing difficulties in storing imported diesel in Chattogram, as two large tanks at the state-owned Eastern Refinery are currently under maintenance.

According to officials, the shortage of storage space has created a temporary crisis. To address the problem, BPC has started transporting diesel from Chattogram to Dhaka through its pipeline network.

They said around 15 million litres of imported diesel are being supplied to the Godnail and Fatullah depots in Dhaka via the pipeline, while the Cumilla depot is also receiving deliveries.

When contacted, BPC's General Manager (Commerce and Operations) Monilal Das said, "We are importing diesel as per the regular schedule. But due to sudden maintenance work on two tanks at Eastern Refinery, storage space in Chattogram has become limited. That's why we are sending part of the diesel to Dhaka through the pipeline."

Currently, the country's diesel stock (in depots and floating) stands at about 526,000 metric tonnes, of which 236,000 metric tonnes are stored in Chattogram.

BPC officials further informed that four ships carrying another 100,000 metric tonnes of diesel are expected to arrive in Chattogram within the next 10 days.

It was learned that the two tanks of Eastern Refinery, currently under maintenance, have a combined storage capacity of 84,500 metric tonnes. As a result, the refinery's daily-produced diesel is being stored elsewhere.

Contacted, Eastern Refinery Managing Director Sharif Hasnat told The Daily Star that maintenance work on the two giant tanks, built in 2000, began last week. "It may take three weeks or more to complete the repair work. BPC has been informed of the matter," he added.

BPC officials also mentioned that each consignment of imported diesel amounts to 30,000 metric tonnes, with 12 vessels arriving at Chattogram every month as per schedule. The country's daily demand for diesel is around 15,000 metric tonnes.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, some officials told The Daily Star that the diesel supplied through the Chattogram-Dhaka pipeline has not yet been fully tallied in the accounts. Still, since there is no storage space in Chattogram, diesel is being supplied to Dhaka, they added.

On August 16, Energy Adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan officially inaugurated the Chattogram-Dhaka pipeline.

Officials informed that before the inauguration, the amount of diesel supplied from Chattogram to Godnail, Fatullah, and Cumilla depots did not fully match records, leading to a temporary suspension of supply after the inauguration.

Md Raihan Ahmed, managing director of Petroleum Transmission Company, told The Daily Star that tuning of flow meters at both ends of the pipeline has been completed to address the discrepancies. "Still, differences remain between flow meter readings and depot tank dips. Fine-tuning work is ongoing," he said.

He further added, "There is no storage space at the main fuel installations in Chattogram. That is why diesel is being supplied to Dhaka. With regular supply operations, we expect the tuning issues will be resolved soon."