The government of Bangladesh has approved the import of two LNG (liquefied natural gas) cargoes from Singapore at a cost of nearly Tk 987 crore, as part of its efforts to address the country’s growing energy demands.
Simultaneously, the government has greenlit the purchase of two bulk carrier ships from the United States for Tk 935.71 crore to strengthen its maritime capacity.
The approvals came during a meeting of the Advisers Council Committee on Government Purchase, chaired by Finance Adviser Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed, held on Tuesday at the secretariat.
LNG Imports from Singapore
To meet short-term energy needs, the government will import two LNG cargoes from the international spot market at a combined cost of nearly Tk 987 crore.
The Energy and Mineral Resources Division had submitted two separate proposals under the Public Procurement Rules 2008, both of which were approved following international competitive bidding.
The first cargo, scheduled for delivery between September 10 and 11, 2025, will be supplied by Aramco Trading Singapore Private Limited. This firm emerged as the lowest responsive bidder out of six participating companies.
The agreed price for this shipment is $11.97 per MMBtu, with the total cost amounting to approximately Tk 502.95 crore for 3.36 million MMBtu of LNG.
The second cargo is expected to arrive between October 8 and 9, 2025, and will be procured from Petrochemical International (Singapore) Private Limited. This firm was selected through a separate bidding process involving three responsive bidders.
The price for this shipment was slightly lower at $11.90 per MMBtu, bringing the total cost to about Tk 484.38 crore for the same quantity of LNG.
Both deals were processed through international quotations in compliance with MSPA (Master Sales and Purchase Agreement) terms, and reflect the government’s increased reliance on the spot market to bridge domestic gas supply shortfalls, especially for the power and industrial sectors.
Purchase of Bulk Carrier Ships from the US
Alongside these energy-related decisions, the government has also approved the purchase of two bulk carrier ships from Hellenic Dry Bulk Ventures LLC, a United States-based company.
The total value of this purchase stands at Tk 935.71 crore, equivalent to $76.698 million. Each of the vessels will have a capacity of 55,000 to 66,000 dead weight tons (DWT) and will be financed by the Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC) using its own funds.
The purchase falls under the project titled “Procurement of Two Bulk Carrier Vessels of 55,000–66,000 DWT,” and was finalised through a one-stage, two-envelope tender process.
Of three participating companies, two were found technically responsive, and Hellenic Dry Bulk Ventures LLC was awarded the contract as the lowest responsive bidder emerged as the lowest qualified bidder.
A meeting of the Advisers Council Committee on Economic Affairs was also held on Tuesday, chaired by the finance adviser.
It approved in principle continued implementation of the Bangladesh Regional Inland Water Transport Project-1 (second revision), funded by the World Bank. This includes dredging the Chattogram-Dhaka-Ashuganj river route and developing associated terminal infrastructure.