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The government expects to significantly augment natural gas supply to industries as soon as the ongoing rough weather, hampering the unloading and re-gasification of liquefied natural gas (LNG) for the past several days, subsides.
"We are expecting to ramp up natural gas supplies from Sunday (today) as one of the two stranded LNG vessels has already transferred LNG to the FSRU, and the other has berthed and begun unloading," Petrobangla Chairman Md Rezanur Rahman told The Financial Express on Saturday.
The country's LNG re-gasification is set to exceed 1,000 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) and continue at that level until August, he said.
"We have increased LNG purchases from the spot market to supply more gas to industries," he added.
The low over the Northwest Bay and the adjoining areas, which intensified into a depression over the same area, is delaying the execution of the plan for increased gas supply to industries, said Mr Rahman.
LNG re-gasification dropped to this year's low of around 651 mmcfd on Friday, due to disruptions in unloading and re-gasification activities caused by rough weather, according to state-run Petrobangla data.
The vessel carrying LNG from Oman's OQ Trading has already completed the transfer of its full volume to one of the floating storage and re-gasification units (FSRUs) in the Bay, the Petrobangla chairman said.
The vessel had previously left the FSRU for the pilot boarding station (PBS), about 10-12 kilometres away, after transferring around 85 per cent of its cargo on May 27, as a precautionary measure due to rough seas, he said.
Another vessel, carrying LNG from Gunvor Singapore Pte Ltd, berthed at the FSRU on Saturday morning and began ship-to-ship LNG transfer, Mr. Rahman added.
Two more vessels are on schedule and expected to arrive next week. Of these, one cargo from Vitol Asia Pte Ltd is set to reach the FSRU on June 1, and another from Gunvor on June 5, he said.
"We have not cancelled these LNG cargoes yet," noted the Petrobangla chairman.
The volume of these LNG cargoes is around 3.36 million British thermal units (MMBtu), and they are expected to be delivered to either of the two FSRUs near Moheshkhali Island.
Petrobangla could not meet its commitment to supply an additional 150 mmcfd of gas from May 28 due to the inclement weather, Mr. Rahman acknowledged.
According to Petrobangla data as of Friday, the overall natural gas output stood at around 2,442 mmcfd, down 7.85 per cent from 2,650 mmcfd on May 27. LNG re-gasification also declined to 651 mmcfd from 781 mmcfd on Tuesday.
Market insiders noted that Bangladesh's key LNG infrastructure also faced disruption during last year's monsoon season. One of the country's two floating LNG terminals sustained damage during Cyclone Remal in late May.
Similarly, Cyclone Mocha in 2023 hampered LNG imports and re-gasification, impacting power generation and industrial output, and straining gas-dependent consumers. "This year's monsoon weather is not yet as severe as in past years," said Mr. Rahman.
However, he cautioned that if conditions worsen, LNG vessels and the FSRUs may need to be moved to safer locations in deeper waters-potentially disrupting LNG imports and re-gasification operations once again.
Azizjst@yahoo.com