68,648 tonnes of Nigerian LNG arrives in BD

A shipment of 68,648 tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Nigeria has reached Bangladesh, as the government continues efforts to diversify its energy imports amid disruptions in Middle Eastern supply.

The Malta-flagged LNG carrier Cool Voyager arrived at the floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) near Maheshkhali Island on 5 April, according to officials from the Chattogram Port Authority.

The delivery comes at a time when Bangladesh is seeking alternative suppliers following interruptions in LNG shipments from Qatar—its largest source—due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.

Data from vessel tracking service MarineTraffic shows that the 280.57-metre-long tanker departed Bonny Port on 12 March and reached Maheshkhali on 5 April.

Engineer Mohammad Saifullah Kabir, deputy general manager of the LNG division at Rupantarita Prakritik Gas Company Limited, said the vessel carried 68,648 tonnes of LNG and unloading began on the morning of 6 April.

He noted that LNG imported from Nigeria is priced similarly to supplies from the Middle East and added that Bangladesh has previously sourced LNG from the African country as part of its diversification strategy.

He also confirmed that this is the second LNG shipment to arrive 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 in progress.

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

Officials expect another eight to nine LNG carriers to arrive this month as the country works to stabilise its gas supply through diversified sourcing.