Bangladesh began importing a 5,000-metric-tonne consignment of diesel from India through a cross-border pipeline on Monday, June 15, aiming to secure its domestic energy supplies as geopolitical tensions in the Middle East disrupt global oil markets.

Pumping from the Numaligarh Refinery Limited in Assam, India, commenced at 3:20 p.m. local time, according to officials from the state-run Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation.

The fuel travels through the 131-kilometer Bangladesh-India Friendship Pipeline and is scheduled to reach the Parbatipur depot in northern Dinajpur within 44 hours.

Muhammad Morshed Hossain Azad, BPC’s general manager for commerce and operations, said the pipeline is operating at a flow rate of approximately 113 metric tonnes per hour. The entire delivery is expected to be completed by Wednesday evening.

The cross-border pipeline, which connects India's Siliguri Marketing Terminal to the Parbatipur facility, was inaugurated in 2023 to provide a faster, more cost-effective alternative to the rail wagons previously used to transport fuel between the two nations.

BPC Chairman Muhammad Rezanur Rahman noted that the current shipment falls under a long-term bilateral agreement. Under the pact, India supplies Bangladesh with roughly 180,000 metric tonnes of diesel annually via the pipeline.

Energy officials emphasized that the current delivery is critical to stabilizing fuel reserves for agriculture, transport, and power generation in Bangladesh's northern region.

Launched in March 2023 to supply fuel to Bangladesh, the increased supply through the pipeline comes as global energy markets face heightened volatility, driven by security threats along vital maritime shipping lanes in the Middle East.

Looking to further cushion its energy sector from global shocks, Bangladesh has requested to import an additional 50,000 metric tonnes of Indian diesel over the next four months through the same pipeline.

Meanwhile, BPC officials have confirmed that the proposal is currently under review by Indian authorities.