Bangladesh’s Tk 8,298 crore Single Point Mooring (SPM) system has moved closer to regular operation after the government approved the appointment of Indonesia’s stateowned PT Pertamina Trans Kontinental as its operator.
The Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase approved a fi ve-year operation and maintenance contract worth Tk 1,946.22 crore, including taxes and duties.
The SPM at Maheshkhali was completed and trial operations conducted in March 2024, but it has remained largely idle for more than two years due to the absence of an operator.
The offshore facility allows large tankers to unload crude oil and diesel directly into separate pipelines, eliminating the need for costly and timeconsuming lighterage.
It is expected to reduce tanker unloading time from around 11 days to about 48 hours and save BPC hundreds of crore taka annually.