CHATTOGRAM, Nov 13: Over 27 lakh metric tonnes of diesel (High Speed Diesel-HSD) are expected to go to Dhaka including the northern districts of the country through 250km long pipeline from January next, according to Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) sources.
The commissioning of the pipeline will begin at the middle of December that will continue till the end of the month, said Deputy Project Director Engineer Aminul Huq.
He also confirmed that the continuous supply of diesel through the pipeline will continue from January.
The installation works of 250km long pipeline from Chattogram to Dhaka have been completed, said Colonel Jahangir Hussain, Project Director.
Currently, connections with three terminals, one at Chattogram and two others in Dhaka have been completed, he said.
The state-owned Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) had taken the project of the installation of 250-kilometre pipeline, for supplying diesel from Chattogram to Dhaka in an attempt to check pilferage and ensure its quick supply.
Presently, from Godnail and Fatullah in Narayanganj, oil tankers usually transport oil through waterways to the depots in the country's northern areas including Baghabari (Pabna), Chilmari (Kurigram) and north-western Chachna Bazar (Sunamganj).
The 237.71-km 16-inch diameter pipeline had been installed from BPC's Chattogram tank terminal at Padma Oil Installations at Patenga to Godnail tank terminal in Narayanganj.
Besides, the BPC installed another 8.29-km 10-inch diameter pipeline from Godnail to Fatullah in Narayanganj to carry oil.
Another 59.23-km 8-inch diameter pipeline from Cumilla to Chandpur has also been set up to supply oil to Chandpur areas later on. The oil transportation pipeline will be secured as it will be three-LPE (Layer Extruded Polyethylene Coating) coated pipeline.
The pipeline would help cut time in oil delivery to end-users, traffic congestion and accidents during transportation and other unforeseen bottlenecks like natural disasters and strike.
BPC sources further said, Dhaka and its adjacent areas consume over two million tonnes of oil a year.
Some 200 oil tankers are used to transport nearly 90 per cent of oil through waterways.
Currently, Bangladesh depends on coastal tankers, railway wagons and tank-lorries to carry refined oils to end-users after import from global suppliers into Chattogram depots as it has no major oil-carrying pipeline.
Small barges, mostly owned by the private sector, also carry petroleum products on various river routes.
Moreover, due to navigability issues in inland waterways, transporting fuel become particularly difficult during the dry season. This disrupts the supply of fuel but if the project is implemented, the BPC could avoid these losses.
The BPC officials went on to say that the project would facilitate the movement of 27-30 lakh tonnes of fuel directly from Chattogram to Dhaka each year while the capacity could be increased to 50 lakh tonnes later.
This will revolutionize the transportation of fuel, sources said, adding that with this, the long wait for safe fuel transportation will come to an end.
