Photo: Collected

DHAKA, August 12, 2026 (BSS) – The government has approved the purchase of eight cargoes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) through direct international procurement to meet the country’s urgent gas demand amid the ongoing geopolitical crisis in the Middle East.

The approval was given at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) held here with Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury in the chair.

According to the meeting’s briefing document, the Energy and Mineral Resources Division placed three proposals relating to the purchase of LNG for meeting the country’s emergency gas requirements.

Under one proposal, the committee approved the purchase of four cargoes of LNG through direct procurement from Zhenyu Shipping Co., Limited, Hong Kong, and PETRONAS LNG Ltd., Malaysia.

The committee also approved the purchase of two cargoes of LNG from China Runze Holdings Group Limited through the direct international procurement method.

Besides, another proposal got approval for procuring two cargoes of LNG directly from DARAB Inc., USA, to meet the country’s urgent gas demand.

Thus, a total of eight cargoes of LNG have been approved for procurement under the three proposals.

The approvals came as Bangladesh is seeking to ensure uninterrupted gas supply amid heightened geopolitical uncertainty and pressure on energy markets.

The CCEA meeting also considered other two proposals from the Ministry of Shipping and Ministry of Social Welfare, according to the official briefing document.