5 of 6 Bangladeshi shipments via Hormuz cancelled

Global suppliers cancelled five Bangladeshi LNG shipments through the Strait of Hormuz today (April 2).

Earlier, Iran approved the safe passage of six Bangladeshi LNG vessels through the route, but five of those six shipments have since been cancelled.

Officials at Petrobangla said the vessel list submitted to Tehran was based on old plans and documents, which did not account for the “force majeure” suspension announced in March by QatarEnergy and Oman-based OKWU Trading. As a result, most of the listed vessels are now effectively inactive.

Petrobangla Chairman Arfanul Haque said, “Due to force majeure, there is no QatarEnergy LNG cargo scheduled for April.”

Iranian Ambassador to Bangladesh Jalil Rahimi Jahanabadi stressed, “Bangladesh is a friendly country. Iran does not wish them to face hardship and will provide necessary support.”

Because of the cancellations, Bangladesh has procured eight out of nine LNG cargos for April from the spot market, with the remaining one coming from a long-term supplier, Petrobangla Finance Director AKM Mizanur Rahman said.

Additionally, Bangladesh has sought special approval from the US to import refined diesel and other petroleum products from Russia and has received clearance to import 100,000 tons of refined diesel from Kazakhstan.