Bangladesh may turn to US companies for LNG amid fuel concerns: Industry leader

Dhaka: During the ongoing fuel concerns in Bangladesh, if liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply from Qatar is not available, the country can procure fuel from companies in the United States as an alternative because Bangladesh has a fuel supply agreement with the US, a fuel business leader said on Sunday.

"Bangladesh imports LNG from Qatar, but if not from Qatar, I believe we have an agreement with the United States. Therefore, even at a higher price, the US companies might carry out the supply," Farhan Noor, Secretary General of the Bangladesh CNG Filling Station & Conversion Workshop Owners Association, told ANI in an interview.

Noor admitted that volatility in the fuel sector created panic among the general public. "When there was a fuel crisis, panic arose among the people. It created an unstable environment in the fuel sector," he added.

Speaking about petrol and octane, which are used in motor vehicles and motorcycles, Noor stated that, "We produce 80 per cent of petrol and octane in Bangladesh; we produce it ourselves."

"In fact, we do not have a major crisis here, but because a responsible person gave an irresponsible statement, especially the chairman of the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC), and the media spread it, panic has arisen here," he said.

Noor said that people started buying more fuel than they actually needed, which created an unstable situation in the fuel sector. "Because of this panic, many people started buying much more fuel or petrol than they actually need," Noor said. "Because of this, it created an unstable situation in the fuel sector, which was actually unnecessary for some people," he added.

"Everyone rushed to the stations at once, which is why the government announced rationing. However, even because of this announcement, the panic increased," he said.

"In reality, the fuel that we use in urban areas, we do not have a shortage of it. I think within the next two or three days the situation will return to normal," Noor said.

"We import diesel from abroad into Bangladesh," he added.