Govt approves 500,000 tonnes diesel, two LNG cargoes import

The government will import 500,000 tonnes of refined diesel from Kazakhstan and two cargoes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Singapore through direct procurement to meet emergency fuel demand amid the Middle East war.

The proposals were approved at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase held online on Saturday afternoon, April 4, a holiday. Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury presided over the meeting.

The committee approved the import of 500,000 tonnes of high-speed diesel (HSD) or automotive gas oil (AGO) from Kazakhstan's Kaz Gas Processing Plant LLP through direct procurement.

It also approved the import of two LNG cargoes from Singapore-based Aramco Trading Singapore Pte Ltd.

Three proposals to import 1.6 million tonnes of diesel and 100,000 tonnes of petrol were tabled at the meeting.

The Economic Affairs Cabinet Committee had approved a proposal to import 1 million tonnes of EN 590-10 PPM diesel and 100,000 tonnes of gasoline 95 unloaded (petrol) from UAE-based DBS Trading House FZCO through direct procurement. However, the Energy Division withdrew the proposal from the purchase committee.

The Energy Division also withdrew another proposal that had been approved by the Economic Affairs Committee to import 100,000 tonnes of 50 PPM sulphur diesel from Oman-based Maxwell International SPC.