(BSS) - Chinese ship `MT Ninemia` has departed for Chattogram from Saudi Arabia with one lakh tonnes of crude oil, which will help the Eastern Refinery Limited (ERL), the country’s lone state-owned oil refinery, to resume production.

The production at ERL`s two main units has remained suspended since April 13 due to shortage of crude oil.

Additionally, two more ships carrying crude oil from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are expected to arrive at the Chattogram port in May.

Commodore Mahmudul Malek, Managing Director of Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC), confirmed this development today and mentioned that the ship departed from Yanbu Port in Saudi Arabia at 6am Bangladesh time today.

Crude oil is now being imported through an alternative route via the Red Sea due to the conflict in Middle East. The ship loaded 100,000 tonnes of crude and departed at around 3am Saudi time on April 20. It typically takes about 12 days to reach Chattogram from Yanbu Port through the Red Sea and Bab el Mandeb.

The ship is expected to arrive at the outer anchorage of Chattogram Port on May 5 or 6, where the crude will be transported to the Eastern Refinery in Patenga by lighterages.

Mahmudul Malek explained that due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz during the conflicts, crude oil could not be brought through the usual route. As a result, alternative ports were utilized to facilitate the import of crude oil. Another ship, the `Nordic Pollux,` is currently stranded in the Strait of Hormuz with 100,000 metric tonnes of crude oil. Despite being at Ras Tanura port in Saudi Arabia, the ship is unable to enter Bangladesh due to a lack of special clearance from Iran. Consequently, the government is forced to purchase more refined oil from the spot market at higher prices.

Despite running for about a month and a half with stored oil, production at the Eastern Refinery`s two main units stopped on April 13 due to a shortage of crude oil. Md Mostafizur Rahman, Deputy General Manager of Eastern Refinery, said that full production will resume once the ship carrying crude oil reaches Chattogram Port in the first week of May.

Efforts have been made to import crude oil from Malaysia, but the plan did not work. However, two more ships carrying 200,000 tonnes of crude oil are expected to arrive at the port in May.

Bangladesh`s current demand for fuel oil is around 7.2 million tonnes per year, with the government-owned Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) responsible for meeting 92 percent of the demand through imports. The remaining 8 percent is sourced locally. ERL refines 1.5 million tonnes of crude fuel out of the supplied fuel. The country imports 65 to 68 million tonnes of fuel oil annually, with diesel and crude oil comprising the majority of imports.

Approximately 15 lakh tonnes of crude oil are imported from Middle Eastern countries and refined at Eastern Refinery. Notably, a ship carrying 100,000 tons of crude oil arrived in the country on February 18. However, due to the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, no more crude oil shipments could arrive, leading to the closure of the state-owned Eastern Refinery on April 13.