Staff Reporter :
Bangladesh will commission its first direct fuel pipeline from Chattogram to Dhaka today (Saturday, 16 August) cutting transport time from 48 hours to 12 and saving an estimated Tk226 crore annually.
The Tk3,653 crore project, implemented by the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) via the Bangladesh Army’s 24 Engineering Construction Brigade, replaces the existing river-tanker system, which cost Tk326 crore a year and required over 110 vessel trips monthly. Annual costs are expected to fall to Tk90 crore, with significant reductions in system losses and fuel theft.
Energy Adviser Fouzul Kabir Khan will formally inaugurate it at the Padma Oil terminal in Guptakhal, Chattogram.
The 250km network includes a 241.28km, 16-inch diameter line from Chattogram to Godnail, Narayanganj, and an 8.29km, 10-inch link to Fatullah. It features nine pumping stations, crosses 22 rivers and canals, and is supported by a new automated depot in Cumilla’s Barura upazila and expanded storage in Narayanganj.
According to BPC data, the old system relied on more than 110 vessels each month, costing approximately Tk326 crore a year. The new 250-kilometre underground pipeline will reduce that cost to about Tk90 crore annually, delivering savings of at least Tk226 crore. It is also expected to significantly cut system losses and fuel theft.
Trial runs in February moved 50 million litres of diesel without loss. The pipeline’s capacity is 350 tonnes per hour, or 2.7-3 million tonnes annually, with potential to expand to 5 million tonnes. A control centre in Patenga will oversee real-time flow and security.
BPC sees the project as a strategic upgrade, improving supply reliability to Dhaka and reducing reliance on river transport.
A fully automated modern depot has been built in Mogbari, Barura upazila of Cumilla, alongside new storage tanks in Narayanganj for the Padma, Meghna, and Jamuna Oil companies.
In February, the Petroleum Transmission Company successfully conducted a trial run, transporting 50 million litres of diesel without loss.
Project Director Md Aminul Haque confirmed that all facilities are now operational. “The pipeline, depots, and reservoirs are ready. Minor technical issues identified during the trial have been resolved,” he said.
With a carrying capacity of 350 tonnes per hour, the pipeline can transport 2.7-3 million tonnes annually, with scope to expand to 5 million tonnes in future.
A new control centre in Patenga will oversee real-time monitoring of fuel flow and security across the network.
BPC officials regard the project as a major strategic upgrade for Bangladesh’s energy sector, ensuring faster, more secure fuel supply to Dhaka and surrounding districts, while reducing dependence on river transport.
