Ship carrying 1 lakh tonnes of crude oil anchors at Ctg port
Another vessel carrying 27,000 tonnes of jet fuel from South Korea to anchor at the port today.
A Chinese vessel, Ninemia, carrying 1 lakh tonnes of crude oil from Saudi Arabia, has anchored at Chattogram Port, marking the first such shipment in over two months amid disruptions caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
The vessel departed from Yanbu port in Saudi Arabia on 21 April and arrived at the Kutubdia anchorage at around 12:15pm today (6 May) after a 15-day voyage.
Six lighterage vessels had already been prepared to unload the crude oil from the ship. Each lighterage can carry up to 4,000 tonnes of crude per trip, meaning the fleet can discharge at least 24,000 tonnes daily.
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After being transported from the outer anchorage, crude will be delivered to Eastern Refinery, which has been shut down since 14 April as the last shipment arrived on 18 February. The refinery is expected to resume production tomorrow.
The Bangladesh Shipping Corporation is managing the entire transport logistics from Saudi Arabia to the outer anchorage and subsequently to the Eastern Refinery in Patenga.
Shipping Corporation Managing Director Commodore Mahmudul Malek told TBS, "The ship was scheduled to arrive around 11am, but rough sea conditions delayed the anchoring by an hour. Unloading via the six lighterage vessels will begin this afternoon. While each can carry 4,000 tonnes, we may load slightly less per trip for safety reasons due to the rough seas."
He further noted that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and rising freight rates mean the cost per tonne of fuel transport has surged to $142, compared to the pre-war rate of $50-$60.
"Despite the costs being nearly 2.5 times higher, we are giving maximum priority to addressing the national fuel crisis," he added.
Malek also said two more shipments totalling 2 lakh tonnes of crude oil are expected later this month. One vessel is scheduled to load 1 lakh tonnes from Fujairah port in the United Arab Emirates on 10 May, which could arrive by 21 May if the schedule is maintained. Efforts are also underway to bring another 1 lakh tonnes from Saudi Arabia by the end of the month.
