Fresh blow to LNG re-gasification as RLNG pipeline damaged by soil-testing rig

Bangladesh’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) re-gasification faced a fresh blow as a re-gasified LNG (RLNG) carrying pipeline was damaged on Tuesday afternoon, halting RLNG supplies to most parts of the country.

The 30-km, 42-inch Anowara-Fouzdarhat RLNG carrying pipeline was damaged when it was hit by a soil test rig operated by a Chinese firm, First Harbor Consultant Ltd (FHCL), in Majherchor area on the bank of The Karnaphuli River in Chattogram, a senior official of the state-owned Gas Transmission Company Ltd (GTCL) said.

“We could identify a porous area in the RLNG carrying pipeline Tuesday afternoon and subsequently squeezed LNG re-gasification from the currently operational FSRU at Moheshkhali Island in the Bay of Bengal after stopping gas flow in the pipeline,” Petrobangla director for operations and mines Kamruzzaman Khan told The FE Wednesday.

The pipeline was dedicated to carrying RLNG to the country’s western part, including the capital Dhaka, he added.

It will take at least a couple of days to repair the damaged pipeline, which lies some five to six feet below the ground, said the GTCL official.

Petrobangla has expressed deep sorrow over the temporary discomfort of the gas-guzzling consumers.

LNG re-gasification from the Moheshkhali floating LNG terminal dipped due to the damage to the Anowara-Fouzdarahat 42-inch pipeline following an accident, it said in an official statement early Wednesday.

Lower gas pressure will prevail in the jurisdiction areas of two major state-run gas marketing and distribution companies -- Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Ltd and Bakhrabad Gas Distribution Company Ltd, it noted.

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