Move to check theft, adulteration of petroleum products

There are as many as 2,800 registered tank lorries to transport petroleum products across the country, according to the state-run Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC). Additionally, 100 oil tankers are also used in this regard. But none of these vehicles have digital locks. Those are not even under a digital tracking or monitoring system either. In the absence of security measures, petroleum products from the vehicles are not only often being stolen but also are prey to adulteration. Stakeholders have faced the two issues for long. However, much to their relief, the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources is trying to digitally control and monitor the tank lorries and tankers. As part of the measure, a digital lock will be installed with each of the vehicles and vessels so that no theft and adulteration take place at any stage of the transportation of petroleum products. If opened, the locks will automatically send signals to the owners or authorities concerned. And with a tracking system attached to the vehicle or vessel, it will be easier to locate that in a very short period. The same features apply to freight trains carrying oil tankers. Usually, tank lorries, vessels and freight trains with oil tankers transport petroleum products from one depot to another. From the depots, they regularly carry petroleum products to refuelling stations for retail customers. Recent raids at different refuelling stations in parts of the country led to the discovery of many dishonest businessmen selling substandard petroleum products. They are also cheating customers by giving them less petroleum products compared to the bill charged. These criminal acts have drawn the attention of the Energy and Mineral Resources Division, which is planning several measures to check the anomalies. Unscrupulous businessmen mixed natural gas condensate, a low-density mixture of hydrocarbon liquids that are present as gaseous components in the raw natural gas produced from natural gas fields, with petrol and octane. However, after the BPC and the Petrobangla adopted a hardline over the illegal practice, it vanished. The government is yet again planning to monitor oil tankers. At a recent meeting of the Energy and Mineral Resources Division, the introduction of digital locks and a digital tracking system was discussed. Md Nurul Alam, secretary of the Energy and Mineral Resources Division, instructed the authorities concerned to take measures accordingly. “Both features will be installed in private tank lorries. Gradually, the government-owned tank lorries will be brought under the measures,” he said. Recently, the government conducted GPS mapping of private fuel marketing companies to control petroleum products and CNG refuelling stations across the country. Industry insiders hope that the plans, when implemented, will take the process of digitization of fuel transportation a step further.
Published on: 2024-04-16 20:18:47.112502 +0200 CEST