The ongoing fuel oil crisis continues to disrupt maritime and cargo transportation activities, with lighter vessels being forced to halt midway due to shortages of fuel.
A recent incident involved the lighter vessel Fatema Hasan, which was forced to stop in the Kaliganj area after failing to receive the required fuel from a lighter tanker. Similar situations are occurring across waterways, as many lighter vessels are unable to obtain adequate fuel supply.
Because of the shortage, vessels are struggling to return to Chattogram Port after unloading cargo, creating a ripple effect on port operations. As a result, cargo transfer activities from mother vessels to lighter ships at the port’s outer anchorage have slowed significantly.
Parvez Ahmed, spokesperson for the Bangladesh Water Transport Coordination Cell (BWTCC), the body responsible for coordinating lighter vessel operations, told The Times of Bangladesh that many vessels are unable to return to the port on time after unloading goods.
“As a result, a shortage of lighter vessels has developed,” he said. “The BWTCC usually allocates 70 to 80 lighter vessels daily for cargo unloading. However, due to the current shortage, no vessels could be allocated on March 10.”
Around 2,000 lighter vessels transport cargo from the outer anchorage of Chittagong Port through 34 waterways across the country. Due to insufficient fuel supply, many of these vessels are unable to reach their destinations, disrupting cargo transportation.
Engineer Mehbub Rashid, Secretary of the Bangladesh Cargo Vessel Owners Association, said vessel owners are actively communicating with the authorities to resolve the crisis.
“We are contacting different levels of the government and submitting letters, but we are still not receiving adequate fuel supply,” he said.
Md. Jasim Uddin, Deputy General Manager (Operations) of Jamuna Oil Company, said the company has already submitted a list of fuel requirements for its regular customers to the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation on March 9.
Fishing vessels also facing crisis
The fuel shortage is also affecting the fishing sector. Several fishing vessels returning from deep-sea fishing are remaining idle due to lack of fuel.
On Monday, four fishing vessels from Chattogram were unable to depart for deep-sea fishing due to the shortage. By Tuesday (March 10), the number had risen to eight. Meanwhile, several other vessels are returning from the deep sea and may face similar problems.
On Tuesday, the Bangladesh Marine Fisheries Association requested fuel supply for 18 fishing vessels. The association plans to write to the Secretary of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock seeking priority fuel allocation for deep-sea fishing vessels.
According to the association, about 200 fishing vessels from 83 member organizations are currently engaged in deep-sea fishing activities. In the last fiscal year, these vessels harvested around 650,000 metric tons of marine fish, helping meet the country’s protein demand.
The fisheries sector contributes about 3.52 percent to Bangladesh’s GDP, while fish production accounts for 26.37 percent of the agricultural sector’s output.
Inam Chowdhury, President of the Bangladesh Marine Fisheries Association, warned that the fuel shortage could seriously affect fish supply and exports.
“Due to inadequate fuel supply, fishing vessels cannot go to the deep sea for fishing,” he said. “If fishing activities decline, it will be difficult to meet domestic demand, and the export trade will also suffer.”
ICD Operations at Risk
The fuel crisis is also affecting inland container depots (ICDs) in Chattogram.
Ruhul Amin Sikder, Secretary General of the Bangladesh Inland Container Depots Association (BICDA), said the daily diesel demand of the 21 private ICDs in the region is around 60,000 to 65,000 liters.
He said container-handling equipment—such as reach stackers, side-lifters, top loaders, forklifts—and the prime movers and trailers used to transport containers are entirely dependent on diesel.
“ICDs are currently not receiving the fuel they require,” he said. “Keeping the depots operational is essential for maintaining the country’s export and import activities as well as the smooth functioning of Chattogram Port.
