Published: 12:12 AM, 16 April 2026
Crude oil crisis halts operations at Eastern Refinery in Chattogram
Officials said the ERL usually refines around 4,000 tonnes of fuel products daily, meeting about 20 percent of the country's total energy demand.
"Units one and two have been closed due to a lack of crude oil," former ERL general manager engineer Manjare Khorshed Alam said on Tuesday (14 April 2026).
These two units produced petrol, diesel, octane, and kerosene.
Sources said the refinery has been facing a shortage since the beginning of April due to disruptions in the global supply chain linked to the ongoing Middle East conflict and the delays in the arrival of a crude oil shipment from Saudi Arabia.
A new shipment of around 100,000 metric tonnes of crude oil is expected to be loaded on April 18 and is scheduled to reach Chittagong Port on May 5.
Currently, only bitumen production is running at the ERL, while Unit number three is producing a small amount of petrol and octane.
>>Bashir Al Mamun, AA
