Around 7,000 tonnes of diesel from India have reached the Parbatipur depot in Dinajpur through the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline. The latest consignment, which began arriving after 6pm on August 10, was fully delivered to the depot by 9:30am today, Friday.
The consignment contained nearly 7,000 tonnes of diesel, equivalent to 8,235,290 litres. The volume was calculated at a rate of 1,176.47 litres per tonne.
Under a 15-year agreement signed between India and Bangladesh on April 9, 2018, Bangladesh was expected to import around 2 million tonnes of diesel through the Friendship Pipeline. However, since the pipeline was inaugurated on March 18, 2023, Bangladesh has imported a total of 3,014,078 tonnes of diesel from India through the facility.
The imported diesel is distributed in roughly equal shares among Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation’s (BPC) three marketing companies—Padma Oil, Meghna Petroleum and Jamuna Oil Company—with each consignment divided among the three companies.
The Bangladesh section of the Friendship Pipeline stretches 126.57 kilometres. It runs through Tetulia, Sadar and Boda upazilas in Panchagarh, Nilphamari Sadar and Chirirbandar upazila in Dinajpur before reaching the receiving terminal at Parbatipur.
The pipeline has been laid about 5 to 8 feet underground, allowing diesel to be transported directly from India to Bangladesh.
The Friendship Pipeline is playing an important role in making fuel supplies to the northern region faster and more efficient, while reducing dependence on road and rail transport for fuel distribution.
