India Supplies 47 Lakh Ltrs of Diesel to Bangladesh via Pipeline

India sends nearly 47 lakh litres of diesel to Bangladesh through the Friendship Pipeline, marking its 72nd consignment as the two countries continue petroleum supply cooperation amid rising fuel demand.

India has supplied nearly 47 lakh litres of diesel to Bangladesh through the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline, as the neighbouring country responds to rising fuel demand. The latest consignment reaches the Parbatipur Receiving Terminal Depot in Dinajpur.

The shipment comprises nearly 4,000 metric tonnes of diesel and marks the 72nd consignment transported through the cross-border pipeline. According to Md Robiul Alam, Operation Manager of the Dinajpur Parbatipur Rail Depot.

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The India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline (IBFP) provides a dedicated route for transporting high-speed diesel from India to Bangladesh. The pipeline has an annual transportation capacity of 1 million metric tonnes (MMTPA) and is the first cross-border energy pipeline between India and Bangladesh.

The two countries signed an agreement in 2018 under which Bangladesh agreed to import around 2 million tonnes of diesel over 15 years. Since the pipeline became operational in March 2023, Bangladesh has imported 330,087 tonnes of diesel through the facility. The latest delivery forms part of this ongoing supply arrangement.

The fuel received through the pipeline is distributed among three state-owned Bangladeshi companies - Padma Oil, Meghna Petroleum and Jamuna Oil - with the supplies allocated almost equally among them. The Bangladesh section of the pipeline extends for about 126.57 kilometres, passing through Panchagarh, Nilphamari and Dinajpur before reaching the Parbatipur terminal.

The latest supply follows several earlier diesel shipments from India this year. Bangladesh imported 17,000 tonnes in March, followed by additional consignments in April, May and July. In August, India also received a request from Dhaka for additional supplies of petroleum products.

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The pipeline has become an important part of India-Bangladesh energy cooperation by providing a direct infrastructure link for petroleum-product supplies. It was jointly inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then-Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in March 2023, following the laying of its foundation stone in September 2018.