Octane Shipment Boosts National Fuel Reserves

The Hong Kong-flagged tanker Quichie arrived at Chittagong Port on Thursday morning, carrying 26,000 tons of octane from Malaysia.

Local agent Pride Shipping Line confirmed that unloading began on Thursday afternoon. This marks the third major octane shipment to arrive in April, following previous deliveries of 26,000 tons on April 8 and 27,000 tons on April 17.

With a daily national demand of approximately 1,200 tons, this month’s total arrival of 79,000 tons is sufficient to meet the country's needs for over two months.

Nazrul Islam, owner of Pride Shipping Line, noted that five additional ships carrying octane and diesel are currently waiting at the outer anchorage. Three other vessels that berthed on Wednesday have already begun discharging fuel.

However, logistical constraints remain. "The port only has three dolphin jetties, which prevents us from berthing all vessels simultaneously," Islam explained. He added that recent inclement weather has also slightly slowed unloading operations.