No crude oil arrived since Feb; shutdown likely in a week

MOHAMMAD SUMAN, Ctg

With usable crude stocks nearly exhausted amid import disruptions due to US-Israel war on Iran, the Eastern Refinery Ltd (ERL) has been kept running by drawing from “deadstock”, residual crude settled at the bottom of storage tanks that can only be used in limited quantities in emergencies.

Production at the refinery, the lone state-owned oil refinery, has dropped sharply, raising concerns of a possible shutdown within a week unless fresh supplies arrive.

Bangladesh needs to import around 1,20,000 tonnes of crude oil monthly. Due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, no crude oil shipments arrived in February However, with

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