Govt to procure 0.1m tonnes of diesel, two LNG cargoes

1.6m tonnes of oil import proposals withdrawn

FE REPORT | Published: April 04, 2026 23:18:03

The government has approved the urgent import of 0.1 million tonnes of diesel from Kazakhstan and two LNG cargoes from Singapore to strengthen national energy reserves amid the ongoing Gulf crisis.
The decision was finalised at back-to-back virtual meetings of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) and the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase (CCGP) on Saturday, chaired by Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury.
The move is aimed at ensuring energy security and preventing potential supply disruptions, particularly those linked to the Strait of Hormuz.
Under the new administration led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, the government is prioritising direct procurement and government-to-government (G2G) arrangements to avoid volatility in the global energy market.
As part of efforts to diversify energy sources, the purchase committee approved several procurement proposals.
According to the Ministry of Finance, the CCGP approved the import of 0.1 million tonnes of diesel from Kazakhstan's Kazakh Gas Processing Plant LLP at a total cost of $55.99 million, with the per-barrel price set at $75.06.
The committee also cleared the import of two LNG cargoes from Aramco Trading Singapore Pte Ltd to meet the country's growing energy demand.
Meanwhile, two separate oil import proposals involving a total of 1.6 million tonnes were withdrawn from consideration at the meeting.
Earlier, the CCEA approved proposals for importing 0.5 million tonnes of diesel from Kazakhstan, 1.0 million tonnes of diesel and 0.1 million tonnes of octane from UAE-based DBS Trading House FZCO, and 0.1 million tonnes of diesel from Oman's Maxwell International SPC.
Officials said the planned imports are expected to meet the country's fuel requirements for the coming quarter, providing a buffer against ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.