Middle East war: Fuel shortage fears trigger rush at filling stations

Due to the ongoing war, Iran has shut down the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy routes. This has created uncertainty in global oil supplies, and the impact has already begun to be felt in the Bangladeshi market.

In the capital and other areas, motorcycle riders have started filling their tanks in advance out of fear of a potential fuel shortage. Private car owners and CNG-run auto-rickshaw drivers are also doing the same. Amid concerns over a possible fuel crisis, many vehicle owners are keeping their tanks full. As a result, demand for petrol, octane and diesel has suddenly surged. By the end of the day, long queues of vehicles were also seen at filling stations on Thursday night.

Such scenes were observed after 10:00 pm on Thursday (March 5) while visiting several filling stations in different parts of the capital.

Meanwhile, many filling stations closed in the evening after running out of fuel due to increased pressure. On Thursday evening, all pumps in the New Market and Nilkhet areas were seen closed. Even at night, long queues of vehicles were visible at filling stations in areas such as Paribagh and Mirpur.

Arif Billah, who came to buy fuel at a filling station in Paribagh, said, “There might be a fuel shortage, so I am filling up my tank so that I can continue using my car even if fuel becomes unavailable.”

Rahim, a private car driver, said, “My car runs on gas. Still, I am keeping some reserve fuel so that I do not have to stay idle if there is a shortage.”

Due to excessive demand, Messrs Sobhan Filling Station in Shewrapara is supplying fuel worth no more than Tk 500 per motorcycle. A long queue of motorcyclists was seen at the pump, which usually remains relatively empty. However, on Thursday night there was an unusually large crowd.

Mujibur, an employee of the filling station, told Jago News, “There is a large crowd today. Many nearby filling stations have run out of fuel. The owner has instructed us not to supply more than Tk 500 worth of fuel to any motorcycle. So we are following that instruction. There are fears that a fuel shortage could appear from Sunday.”

However, according to information provided by the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) in March, the country currently has reserves of diesel for about 14 days, petrol for around 15–17 days, octane for about 28 days, furnace oil for around 93 days, and jet fuel for approximately 55 days.

Based on official data, there should not be an immediate fuel shortage. However, the government has urged people to use electricity and fuel sparingly.