Eastern Refinery Limited (ERL), Bangladesh’s sole state-run facility for processing crude oil into various petroleum products, set a record by surpassing its installed production capacity in fiscal year 2024-25.
Bangladesh’s energy sector may come under significant threat if the Iran-Israel war escalates and Iran follows through on its threat to block the Strait of Hormuz, a vital maritime trade route through which one-fifth of the world’s oil supply is shipped every day.
Bangladesh may face disruptions to its fuel imports if the conflict between Iran and Israel escalates further, according to industry experts and officials.
Iran may shut down the route through which Bangladesh’s fuel supplying nations move ships
Although the National Board of Revenue (NBR) resumed regular operations yesterday after nearly two weeks of protests and work abstentions, ship and container congestion has once again gripped the Chattogram Port, triggering concern among businesses over potential delays in cargo handling and increased logistics costs.
At least 52 garment factories, both small and large, have closed in the past six months in Chattogram thanks to a 25 percent drop in work orders amid political instability, according to Industrial Police sources.
For the past two weeks, residents of Chattogram have been grappling with an acute crisis of drinkable water as rising salinity levels in the supply have made it virtually undrinkable.
Marine fish catches from the Bay of Bengal have been falling consistently over the past two years, raising concerns as sea fish provide roughly 13 percent of the country’s total annual protein production.
The Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) says it cannot encash deposits worth nearly Tk 1,700 crore held with seven private banks, which the government agency blames for causing delays to its development projects and disrupting regular operations.
“I haven’t received my books yet, even though classes are ongoing. Without it, I am falling behind in my studies,” said Mizanur Rahman Jisan, a student at Pashchim Kadhurkhil High School in the Boalkhali upazila, echoing the sentiment of thousands of secondary students across Chattogram.
Kitchen markets, including those in the capital Dhaka, are facing a shortage of both branded bottled and non-branded loose soybean oil, prompting prices to spike and causing frustration among consumers already struggling with stubbornly high inflation.
Despite a decision by the interim government to hike soybean oil prices nearly three weeks back, many kitchen markets across Bangladesh, including the capital Dhaka, are missing an adequate supply of the key cooking ingredient.
Chattogram, the financial capital with significant potential for the real estate business, has seen continuous innovation in housing projects, with developers focusing on customer needs and preferences.
The interim government has reduced taxes and duties on soybean and palm oil to lower prices amid high inflation but this has not helped raise imports. Instead, there is a shortage of bottled edible oil in the markets.
Diesel supply in eight districts of Rangpur has been hampered due to the refusal of loco masters to work overtime and non-arrival of a scheduled consignment through the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline from across the border.
Bangladesh is set to reach a milestone in fuel transport with the commissioning of the 250-kilometre Chattogram-Dhaka diesel pipeline in the middle of December.
An inability to open letters of credit (LCs) since the political changeover on August 5 has resulted in the closure of at least seven enterprises owned by the S Alam Group, including its sugar and edible oil refineries and steel factory.
