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After three successful trial runs, the long-anticipated Chattogram-Dhaka fuel pipeline is set to be officially inaugurated on August 16, according to the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC).
“Several successful trial runs of diesel supply through the pipeline have been completed from Chattogram to Godnail in Narayanganj. We have now fixed August 16 as the commissioning date,” BPC Chairman Md Amin Ul Ahsan told The Daily Star.
The test runs took place in late June, with 32,000 tonnes of refined diesel delivered to the Godnail depot over three days through the 250-kilometre pipeline, stretching from Chattogram’s Patenga to Narayanganj.
The pipeline comprises two segments. The first 241.28-kilometre patch with a 16-inch diameter from Patenga to Godnail via Feni, Cumilla, Chandpur, and Munshiganj, and the second 8.29-kilometre segment with a 10-inch diameter connecting Godnail to Fatulla.
The route crosses at least 22 rivers and canals, including 10 rivers, with large portions laid beneath the riverbeds.
Once fully operational, the pipeline is expected to save BPC around Tk 200 crore each year by slashing fuel transport costs, according to officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.
At present, refined diesel is being pumped directly from the storage tanks of Padma, Meghna, and Jamuna oil companies in Patenga to Godnail. BPC sources said the process has run smoothly, with no reported complications.
There are nine pumping stations along the pipeline.
Currently, imported fuel arrives at Chattogram port and is moved to central depots by feeder vessels before being distributed nationwide by river, rail, or road. This multi-modal system faces risks such as oil theft, navigational hazards, and dry season disruptions.
In the fiscal year 2023-24, 54 lakh tonnes of fuel were transported across the country by water. Of this, 27 lakh tonnes travelled from Chattogram to the Godnail and Fatulla depots, requiring over 110 ships each month.
A total of 13.44 lakh tonnes of diesel was transported by river from the main oil installations in Chattogram’s Patenga area to the Godnail and Fatulla depots in Dhaka during the fiscal year 2024-25.
In the previous fiscal year, 12.80 lakh tonnes of diesel were moved along the same route. The volume was higher in 2022-23, with 14.79 lakh tonnes transported by river.
In FY 2021-22, the figure stood at 13.86 lakh tonnes, while 12.28 lakh tonnes of diesel were carried in FY 2020-21.
All consignments were delivered by smaller ships via inland waterways, which remain the primary mode of diesel transport from Chattogram to the capital.
To manage the pipeline, engineers from the construction contractor are in the process of handing over operations to the newly established Pipeline Transmission Company Limited (PTCPLC) under the BPC.
The new infrastructure can transport 350 tonnes of fuel per hour and will maintain a reserve of 27,000 tonnes of diesel along the route. It has the capacity to handle up to 50 lakh tonnes of fuel annually.
Approved in October 2018, the project was initially scheduled for completion by December 2020. However, construction delays led to deadline extensions, first to December 2022 and then to December 2024.
The project was implemented by the Bangladesh Army’s 24th Engineer Construction Brigade, with funding from BPC. Initially, the estimated cost was Tk 2,861 crore, but the final cost rose to nearly Tk 3,699 crore.
According to BPC officials, the pipeline will strengthen national energy security, reduce system losses during fuel transfer, lower transport costs, and speed up delivery to Dhaka.
This is the second underground fuel pipeline project in the country, after the 110-kilometre Single Point Mooring (SPM) line from the deep sea off Moheshkhali to the Eastern Refinery in Chattogram.
The SPM project has yet to begin formal operations due to the absence of an operations and maintenance contractor.
Despite successful commissioning in April 2024 and formal handover in August, the Tk 8,000 crore facility has remained idle for nearly a year.