Bangladesh Receives 68,648 Tonnes of Nigerian LNG

A cargo of 68,648 tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Nigeria has arrived in Bangladesh as the country continues efforts to diversify energy imports amid supply disruptions in the Middle East.

The Malta-flagged LNG carrier Cool Voyager reached the floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) at Maheshkhali Island on Saturday, according to officials at the Chattogram Port Authority.

The shipment comes as Bangladesh looks for alternative supply sources following disruptions linked to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which has affected deliveries from key Middle Eastern exporters, including Qatar, the country’s largest LNG supplier.

According to global vessel tracking data, the 280.57-metre-long and 43.42-metre-wide tanker departed Bonny Port, Nigeria, on 12 March and arrived off Maheshkhali on 5 April.

Engineer Mohammad Saifullah Kabir, deputy general manager of the LNG division at Rupantarita Prakritik Gas Company Limited, said unloading of the Nigerian cargo began on Sunday.

He said LNG sourced from Nigeria is priced at a level comparable to shipments from the Middle East and noted that Bangladesh has previously imported LNG from the African country as part of its efforts to diversify supply.

He also said this is the second LNG shipment to reach Bangladesh in April. Earlier, a vessel carrying 69,881 tonnes of LNG from the United States arrived on Saturday, and unloading from that cargo is still underway.

In March, Bangladesh imported nearly 600,000 tonnes of LNG through eight vessels from multiple countries, according to officials of Rupantarita Prakritik Gas Company.

Officials expect eight to nine more LNG carriers to arrive this month as Bangladesh moves to stabilise gas supply and strengthen energy security through diversified sourcing.