Relief amid Ramuz crisis: 15 ships arrive at Chittagong Port

Amidst the tense situation in the Middle East, 15 Bangladesh-bound cargo ships have started arriving at the Port of Chittagong via the international trade route Strait of Hormuz. Port sources said that these ships had set sail from the Persian Gulf region before the attacks by the United States and Israel.

According to port officials, the 15 ships are carrying a total of about 750,000 tons of goods. Of these, four ships are carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG), two ships are carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and nine ships are carrying clinker, an important raw material for the cement industry. 12 ships have already arrived at the port and the remaining three are scheduled to arrive this week.

Tensions have been created in the entire Gulf region following the United States and Israel's attack on Iran on February 28 and its counter-attack. This puts a large part of the global energy supply at risk, as about one-fifth of the world's oil and LNG is transported through the Strait of Hormuz.

Bangladesh's commercial connections with several Gulf countries also depend on this route. It is the main sea route for bringing goods to Bangladesh from Iraq, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Iran. Usually, ships from the Persian Gulf reach Bangladesh via the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal.

Port sources also said that two ships named 'Al Zor' and 'Al Jasasiya' carrying about 126,000 tons of LNG from Ras Laffan Port have already arrived at Chittagong Port. In addition, two more LNG ships named 'Lusail' and 'Al Galayel' are scheduled to arrive at the port in the next few days. In total, the four ships have about 247,000 tons of LNG.

Meanwhile, a ship carrying LPG named ‘Sevan’ is scheduled to arrive at the port on Sunday, bringing more than 22,000 tonnes of LPG from Sohar Port. Earlier, another ship named ‘GYMM’ arrived in Chittagong from the same port with about 19,000 tonnes of LPG. These gases were imported by Meghna Fresh LPG, a subsidiary of Meghna Group of Industries.

In addition, a ship named ‘Bay Yasu’ carrying 5,000 tonnes of monoethylene glycol (MEG) from Shuaiba Port in Kuwait arrived at Chittagong Port last Thursday. In addition, about 515,000 tonnes of raw materials including clinker, gypsum, limestone and stone have also arrived from the Gulf region, which will mainly be used in the country’s cement industry.

According to relevant sources, Bangladesh imported about $6 billion worth of goods from Gulf countries using the Strait of Hormuz in the 2024-25 fiscal year, a large part of which is fuel. However, those concerned fear that if the ongoing tension surrounding the strait lasts long, uncertainty may arise regarding the arrival of new ships in the future.