Around 5,000 metric tonnes of diesel are being supplied from India to Bangladesh through the Bangladesh‑India Friendship Pipeline, as the country seeks to maintain stable fuel supplies amid global disruptions linked to tensions in West Asia. Officials of the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) said pumping of the fuel began at 3:20 pm yesterday from the Numaligarh Refinery Limited in Assam. The diesel is expected to reach the Parbatipur depot in Dinajpur within about 44 hours.

 

BPC’s General Manager for Commerce and Operations, Muhammad Morshed Hossain Azad, said around 113 metric tonnes of diesel are being pumped every hour, and the entire consignment is likely to be delivered by tomorrow evening.

 

The 131-kilometre cross-border pipeline connects the Siliguri Marketing Terminal in India with the Parbatipur depot in northern Bangladesh and was formally inaugurated in 2023 to ensure faster and more cost-effective fuel transportation. Before the pipeline became operational, diesel was transported from the refinery to Bangladesh by rail wagons.

 

BPC Chairman Muhammad Rezanur Rahman said the shipment is part of a long-term agreement under which India supplies about 180,000 metric tonnes of diesel to Bangladesh annually through the pipeline.

 

Officials said the supply is particularly significant as global oil markets face volatility due to ongoing geopolitical tensions affecting shipments through key maritime routes. The latest consignment is expected to help maintain adequate fuel reserves for power generation, transport and agriculture in northern Bangladesh.

 

Meanwhile, Bangladesh has also proposed importing an additional 50,000 metric tonnes of diesel from India over the next four months through the same pipeline, with the request currently under consideration.