Bangladesh is importing 100,000 metric tons of crude oil from Saudi Arabia through an alternative route to avoid complications in the Strait of Hormuz. The oil will be shipped from Yanbu Commercial Port, located near the Red Sea, directly to the state-owned Eastern Refinery in Chattogram. The tanker is scheduled to load the oil on April 20. Meanwhile, another vessel, MT Nordic Pollux, carrying 100,000 tons of crude oil, remains stranded at Ras Tanura port in Saudi Arabia due to the absence of special clearance from Iran.

According to the Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC), both shipments—one from Yanbu and the other from Ras Tanura—are expected to reach Chattogram by the first week of May, totaling 200,000 tons of crude oil. Once refined, the oil will yield diesel, petrol, octane, furnace oil, and kerosene, helping ease the ongoing fuel supply strain. BSC officials said diplomatic efforts are underway to obtain Iranian clearance for the stranded vessel.

The new route through the Red Sea is considered safer as it lies outside the Hormuz Strait, reducing potential military or political disruptions to oil transport.