Energy crisis disrupts waterway transport in Bangladesh

Dhaka (Bangladesh); April 19 : Due to the conflict in West Asia, Bangladesh's waterway transport has seen disruptions, and as a result, people are suffering, with rising costs, which have resulted in difficulties for people in Bangladesh.

The government of Bangladesh is unable to meet the demand for diesel and lubricants for waterway transport.

"We need between 200,000 and 300,000 litres of diesel per day just for the vessels based in Dhaka", Badiuzzaman Badal, President of Bangladesh Inland Waterways Association, toldin an interview.

He underlined that outside of Dhaka, vessels are present in places such as Bhairab, Narshingdi, Narayanganj, Aricha, Barisal, Patuakhali, and Bhola, which also require fuel, diesel, and lubricants.

"We have various types of vessels here; some consume 250 litres of diesel per day, some 500 litres, and some between 600 and 700 litres per day. We are not receiving sufficient diesel supply from the government, and as a result, we are facing a lot of difficulty in operating the vessels", Badol lamented.

Describing the details of the operating vessels, he shared that due to a reduction in the supply of fuel, vessel owners are struggling significantly.

"Each vessel operates with three engines: two main engines and one generator. All of these require diesel and lubricating oil. However, there is currently a 40% reduction in supply compared to demand. As a result, vessel owners are struggling significantly. Meanwhile, the price of diesel has also increased by 15 taka per litre. We are now urging the government to adjust this increased fuel cost by raising the fare accordingly", he said.

He underlined how Bangladesh has a total of 450 passenger vessels across the country. Amongst them, he said that 50 vessels operate up and down from Dhaka, and from just one terminal in the capital's Sadarghat, between 30,000 and 40,000 passengers travel daily by these vessels.

Despite Sadarghat being a bustling terminal, passenger vessels were lined up one after another, and passengers were not travelling because the number of up-and-down trips had been greatly reduced due to the fuel shortage.

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