The state-run Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) has cancelled the tender it had floated to import around 1.25 million tonnes of refined petroleum products in the first half (H1) of the year 2021 (January-June).
The BPC was planning to import up to 990,000 tonnes of 0.005 per cent sulfur gasoil (diesel), 120,000 tonnes of Jet A-1 fuel, 80,000 tonnes of marine fuel having 0.5 per cent sulfur, 45,000 tonnes of 95 RON gasoline (octane), and 20,000 tonnes of high sulfur fuel oil (furnace oil) with 3.5 per cent sulfur content in H1 of 2021.
The planned quantity of fuel import was 18.39 per cent higher than the corresponding period of current year (H1 of 2020).
It floated the tender in the first week of this month, and cancelled it almost immediately.
"We have cancelled the tender, as we have decided to review the fuel requirement during the current coronavirus pandemic," a senior BPC official told the FE.
He said a fresh tender will be floated soon to import petroleum products for H1 of 2021.
For H1, 2020, the BPC had floated tender to import up to 1.06 million tonnes of oil products, down by 24.28 per cent compared to that of H1, 2019.
Unipec Sigapore Pte and Vitol Asia Singapore had bagged the tender.
BPC deferred nine oil cargoes, having 30,000 tonnes of capacity each, during April-May of 2020, as the country was under a nationwide shutdown with restrictions on all types of transportation, including air, rail and public transports as well as movement of private vehicles from March 26 to May 30.
The BPC imported up to 1.40 million tonnes of 0.05 percent sulfur gasoil, jet A-1 fuel and 180 CST high sulfur fuel oil and 95 RON gasoline combined in H1 of 2019.
Currently, the BPC is importing 1.04 million tonnes of 50 ppm sulfur gasoil, jet A-1 fuel, 180 CST high sulfur fuel oil, and 95 RON gasoline combined for delivery over July-December of 2020 under tendering system.
The volume is 22.67 per cent lower than the volume it sought in the tender for the first half of 2020, which totalled 1.06 million tonnes of refined oil products.
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