Severe Fuel Crisis Halts Fishing and Tourism, Leaves Thousands of Families in Uncertainty
A severe fuel crisis has created a major standstill in the fisheries and tourism sectors. In coastal regions including Cox’s Bazar and Patuakhali, hundreds of trawlers are unable to go to sea due to a shortage of diesel. As a result, the income of lakhs of fishermen has come to a halt. In addition, tourism stakeholders said that the tourism sector has also suffered a major downturn as the movement of tourist vehicles has decreased due to the lack of diesel.
Stalemate in fisheries and tourism sectors in Cox’s Bazar
Fishermen, trawler owners, and fish traders said that most petrol pumps in Cox’s Bazar district have been kept closed citing the fuel crisis. Due to the lack of sufficient fuel, the impact has spread across almost all sectors, from fishing boats and trawlers in coastal areas to vehicles operating on roads and highways. Most fishing trawlers are unable to go to sea due to insufficient fuel.
At the same time, vehicles engaged in transporting lakhs of tourists visiting Cox’s Bazar are also facing fuel shortages. In particular, as tourists have a high demand for marine fish, traders are unable to meet that demand as before. Similarly, irrigation pumps are also in trouble. There is no diesel at petrol pumps, making it difficult for rice and vegetable farmers to provide irrigation.
In areas such as Majhirghat on the Bakkhali River and Jetty No. 6, hundreds of trawlers are lying idle due to a lack of fuel. Most floating petrol pumps along the river have run out of fuel and have stopped sales. Some pumps have been completely closed for several days. As a result, lakhs of fishing families have lost their income as they cannot go to sea. They are living in uncertainty. Due to the inability of fishermen to catch fish, the supply in local markets has decreased, and prices have gone beyond the reach of the general public.
Tourism-related businesses said that due to the fuel crisis, generators in at least 500 hotels and motels in the district cannot be operated. As a result, tourists are facing difficulties. Restaurants lack marine fish, and tourist vehicles lack fuel, leaving business owners in distress.
Fisherman Didarul Alam, who works on the FB Mayer Doa trawler owned by Tashlim Majhi of Khurushkul area in the city, is waiting for fuel. He said, “We are poor people. We go to the sea risking our lives to earn a living. It is not easy to go to the sea; there are many risks. Still, we go thinking about our families. But now when we come to the jetty to go to sea, we see there is no fuel. Pumps are closed. Without fuel, how will we go to sea? And if we cannot go, how will we run our families? Not only me, six family members depend on me. If I cannot catch fish and earn, how will I feed them? Now we are waiting for fuel. We do not know when we will get fuel or when we can go to sea. It is extreme uncertainty.”
Boatman Abdu Shukkur of the FB Shah Majidia trawler anchored at Chairman Ghat on the Bakkhali River said, “We are checking at pumps to get fuel, but they say it has not arrived. The pump staff say if there is no fuel, where will they get it from? Without fuel, it is impossible to go to sea. We have been waiting at the jetty for two days hoping for fuel. Our trawler needs about 2,000 liters of fuel, but we are unable to go due to the shortage. We are facing financial hardship.”
Another fisherman from the same area, Mohammad Selim, said, “At Jetty No. 6, around 500 fishing families are sitting idle with their trawlers anchored. The income of at least 5,000 people depends on these 500 fishermen. But due to the diesel crisis, we have been sitting on the trawlers for the past five days and cannot go to sea. Trawler owners are also unable to pay us. How will we survive like this?”
Riyaz Uddin, manager of Faria Trading pump at Chairman Ghat area of the Bakkhali River, said, “There has been a fuel crisis for the past eight days. Our pump requires at least around 9,000 liters of diesel daily, but supply has dropped significantly and is not arriving. As a result, we cannot supply fuel to fishing trawlers that come here. Usually, trawlers store extra fuel before going to sea. Those that already went with stored fuel may complete their trips, but if the crisis continues, they will not be able to go again.”
There are a total of 21 floating petrol pumps along the coast, on which thousands of fishing trawlers depend. However, many pumps have been closed for the past seven days, and the rest have no fuel. As a result, trawlers arriving at the riverbanks are not getting fuel, leading to long rows of anchored trawlers. Thousands of fishermen are passing their days in anxiety and uncertainty.
In this situation, leaders of the district fishing boat owners’ association and fish traders have urged the government to intervene quickly to resolve the fuel crisis. They said lakhs of fishing families are facing uncertainty as they cannot go to sea.
Mohammad Azadur Rahman, spokesperson of Cox’s Bazar Fish Traders Unity Cooperative Society Limited, said, “A severe fuel crisis has emerged, and fishermen are the worst affected. There are about 6,000 fishing trawlers in Cox’s Bazar, but they cannot go to sea due to the lack of fuel. We have checked all 21 floating pumps at different ghats over the past seven days, but no fuel is available anywhere. Without fuel, there is no way to send trawlers to sea. We are also worried.”
When asked about the issue, Cox’s Bazar Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Abdul Mannan said, “We have spoken with the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC). Fuel will be supplied to registered vessels, while unregistered ones will receive fuel on a limited basis.”
Similar situation for fishing trawlers in the southern region
Due to the diesel crisis, thousands of fishing trawlers in the southern region are unable to go to sea. As a result, several lakh fishermen, trawler owners, and fisheries-related businesses are facing difficulties.
Trawler owners and traders said an artificial shortage has been created in supply. As a result, hundreds of trawlers in fishing ports and landing centers in Barguna, Patharghata, Alipur and Mohipur of Patuakhali, and Lalmohan and Monpura of Bhola are unable to go to sea, leaving fishermen idle.
Ghulam Mostafa Chowdhury, president of Barguna District Fishermen Trawler Owners Association, and Dulal Hossain, general secretary of the district Fishing Trawler Workers Union, said that Patharghata hosts the country’s second-largest fishing port and BFDC landing center. More than 300 trawlers there are unable to go to sea due to diesel shortages, causing a standstill in business activities at the port and creating frustration among fishermen and their families.
Masum Akon, general secretary of the district trawler owners’ association and a fish trader, said fuel traders in Patharghata are stockpiling fuel and creating an artificial crisis. At the same time, they are secretly selling fuel at higher prices. Most traders have anchored their trawlers in canals in the area.
Barguna Deputy Commissioner Tashlima Akter said, “If any dishonest trader is found stockpiling fuel and creating an artificial crisis, strict legal action will be taken against them.”
The same situation prevails across fishing ports in the southern region, including Mohipur and Alipur of Patuakhali, and Lalmohan and Monpura of Bhola, where sea-going trawlers are unable to operate due to diesel shortages.
Majnu Gazi, a fish trader and trawler owner in Mohipur, said, “There is sufficient diesel stock in shops, but they are not selling it to take advantage of price hikes. They offer a maximum of 200 liters citing shortages, which is not enough to go to sea. Some trawlers require 2,000 to 2,500 liters. As a result, many trawlers remain anchored, and fishermen are sitting idle. Fishermen, owners, and traders are all suffering.”
Nasir Uddin, a trawler owner from Monpura in Bhola, made similar allegations. He said, “Traders have been talking about this diesel crisis for a week. As a result, our business activities have come to a standstill.”
Source: Bangla Tribune
