Every cargo Bangladesh's state buyers import by sea, and the delivery terms that come with it.
Selling to a Bangladesh government buyer?
Much of the food, fuel and fertilizer Bangladesh imports is bought by state agencies, through international tenders and G2G contracts. Each buyer writes its own delivery terms: laytime, NOR rules, vessel age, lighterage, sampling and packing. Those clauses decide whether a delivery earns money or loses it in demurrage, rejection or claims. Below is every cargo type these buyers bring in by sea, and what each one asks of the port call.
26cargo types bought by government agenciesfood, oils, fertilizer, fuel, gas, coal
8state buyers we trackDG Food, TCB, BCIC, BADC, BPC, RPGCL, BSC, power plants
≈115LNG cargoes planned for 2026long-term and spot
50,000 MTstandard DG Food grain packagewheat and rice
Government tender item catalogue
Filter by sector. Each card shows the buyer, how it buys, typical lot size, cargo form and vessel, where it discharges, and the point we watch most closely.
W
Food grains & pulses
Milling wheat
DG Food
How bought
International open tender (50,000 MT packages) and G2G deals, e.g. the US wheat MoU
Typical lot
50,000 MT (+5%) per package
Form & vessel
Bulk, geared bulk carrier up to 25 years
Discharge
Chattogram 60% · Mongla 40%, silo in bulk or jetty in bags
Watch: IDTS hatch sampling, lighterage on seller, FDR within 7 days
PR
Food grains & pulses
Parboiled rice (non-basmati)
DG Food
How bought
International open tender and G2G
Typical lot
50,000 MT (+5%) per package
Form & vessel
50 kg new PP woven bags, geared vessel
Discharge
Chattogram 60% · Mongla 40%
Watch: Broken grain and moisture limits, bag count, 50% shipped within 25 days of L/C
AR
Food grains & pulses
Atap (sunned) rice
DG Food
How bought
Mainly G2G (e.g. Myanmar, Pakistan) and tenders
Typical lot
Typically 50,000 MT programmes, shipped in batches
Form & vessel
Bagged rice on geared vessels
Discharge
Chattogram and Mongla
Watch: Quality test of ship samples before unloading starts
RL
Food grains & pulses
Red lentil (whole, husked)
TCB
How bought
International open tender, CFR (C) Chattogram
Typical lot
A few thousand MT per tender
Form & vessel
50 kg bags
Discharge
Chattogram
Watch: Shipment deadline in the tender, delivery to TCB warehouses
CP
Food grains & pulses
Brown chickpea
TCB
How bought
Open tender, usually ahead of Ramadan
Typical lot
3,000–5,000 MT per tender
Form & vessel
25/50 kg bags
Discharge
Chattogram
Watch: Tight Ramadan timing; partial quantities often allowed
Watch: Hygroscopic cargo: rain stoppages and caking
BU
Fertilizer
Bagged urea (CFR)
BCIC
How bought
International tender, CFR / CFR (C)
Typical lot
50,000 MT (+5%) in two shipments
Form & vessel
Bagged, on geared vessels
Discharge
Harbaria, Mongla
Watch: Bag tally and godown delivery
DAP
Fertilizer
DAP (diammonium phosphate)
BADC
How bought
Mainly G2G (e.g. Morocco, Saudi Arabia)
Typical lot
30,000–40,000 MT lots
Form & vessel
Bulk or bagged
Discharge
Chattogram, Mongla, Payra
Watch: Peak season September–February
TSP
Fertilizer
TSP (triple super phosphate)
BADC
How bought
G2G, with freight tenders through BSC
Typical lot
30,000 MT (±10%) lots
Form & vessel
Bulk; delivered in 50 kg WPP bags with liner
Discharge
Chattogram and Shiromoni Ghat via Mongla
Watch: Freight-and-bagging contracts, lighterage on owner
MOP
Fertilizer
MOP (muriate of potash)
BADC
How bought
G2G (e.g. Russia, Canada)
Typical lot
30,000–50,000 MT lots
Form & vessel
Bulk, pink, free-flowing
Discharge
Chattogram, Payra, Mongla
Watch: Discharge rate per weather working day, NOR in office hours
PA
Fertilizer
Phosphoric acid
BCIC
How bought
International tender
Typical lot
10,000–30,000 MT
Form & vessel
Liquid chemical in tankers
Discharge
Chattogram, for TSP and DAP plants
Watch: Chemical tanker handling and shore tank capacity
GO
Petroleum
Gasoil 50 ppm (diesel)
BPC
How bought
Half by international tender, half G2G; Jan–Jun and Jul–Dec programmes
Typical lot
30,000 MT parcels
Form & vessel
Clean product tanker (MR)
Discharge
Chattogram outer anchorage, lightering to oil berths
Watch: 120 h laytime incl. lightering; NOR 06:00–18:00
JA
Petroleum
Jet A-1
BPC
How bought
Tender and G2G, often combined with gasoil
Typical lot
20,000 MT in a 30,000 MT combination cargo
Form & vessel
Clean product tanker
Discharge
Chattogram
Watch: Electrical conductivity and refinery certificate checks
G95
Petroleum
Gasoline 95 (octane)
BPC
How bought
Tender and G2G
Typical lot
25,000 MT ±10%
Form & vessel
Clean product tanker
Discharge
Must berth direct at the jetty
Watch: 108 h laytime, Fridays and holidays included
FO
Petroleum
HSFO 180 cSt
BPC
How bought
Tender and G2G
Typical lot
25,000 MT ±10%
Form & vessel
Dirty product tanker with heating
Discharge
Must berth direct at the jetty
Watch: 108 h laytime; heating and slower stripping
MF
Petroleum
Marine fuel 0.5% S
BPC
How bought
Tender and G2G
Typical lot
15,000 MT ±10%
Form & vessel
Product tanker
Discharge
Must berth direct at the jetty
Watch: 84 h laytime
CR
Petroleum
Crude oil (Arab Light, Murban)
BPC / ERL
How bought
Long-term G2G with Saudi Aramco and ADNOC
Typical lot
About 1.5 Mt a year in total
Form & vessel
Large crude tankers
Discharge
Outer anchorage lighterage; an SPM off Moheshkhali has been built for direct discharge (check current status)
Watch: Lighterage of a 100,000 DWT tanker has taken up to 11 days
LNG
Gas & coal
LNG
Petrobangla / RPGCL
How bought
Long-term SPAs plus spot tenders among enlisted suppliers
Typical lot
About 3.36 million MMBtu per spot cargo
Form & vessel
LNG carrier, ship-to-ship to an FSRU
Discharge
Moheshkhali FSRUs
Watch: Tight delivery windows; FSRU availability
CL
Gas & coal
Thermal coal
Power plant companies (Payra, Rampal, Matarbari)
How bought
Long-term supply and freight contracts
Typical lot
Panamax/Supramax cargoes, around 40,000–65,000 MT
Form & vessel
Bulk carriers, lighters to plant jetties
Discharge
Payra, Mongla (Rampal), Matarbari
Watch: Lighter capacity and weather windows; plant stock levels
Compiled from public tender notices on the Bangladesh Public Procurement Authority (BPPA) site, government purchase committee decisions reported in the press, and recent tender schedules. Lot sizes and terms change between tenders.
The state buyers
DG FoodDirectorate General of Food, Ministry of Food
Wheat, parboiled and atap rice for the public food stock
TCBTrading Corporation of Bangladesh, Ministry of Commerce
Edible oils, sugar, lentil, chickpea, dates and onion for subsidised sales
BCICBangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation
Urea (granular, prilled, bagged) and phosphoric acid
BADCBangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation
DAP, TSP and MOP
BPCBangladesh Petroleum Corporation
Gasoil, Jet A-1, gasoline, HSFO, marine fuel and crude oil for ERL
RPGCLRupantarita Prakritik Gas Co., under Petrobangla
LNG from long-term and spot suppliers
BSCBangladesh Shipping Corporation
Charters ships for government cargo, e.g. BADC fertilizer freight tenders; owns national-flag tankers
Power cos.Payra, Rampal and Matarbari plant companies
Chattogram 60% · Mongla 40% (silo in bulk, jetty in bags)
Chattogram, Mongla (Harbaria) and/or Payra
Delivery basis
CFR, with title passing at the vessel's hose flange
CIF liner out: stevedoring, overside handling and lighterage on seller
CFR bulk (G2G), or freight tenders free in / liner out
Vessel
Preferably within 15 years and never over 20; older vessels need overage insurance, a double hull and a clean record; at least 700 MT/h discharge capacity
Geared bulk carrier, maximum 25 years, able to enter Chattogram and Mongla berths
Geared single-decker bulk carrier, maximum 25 years; overage insurance beyond 15 years
Laytime
120 running hours for 30,000 MT gasoil (incl. lightering); 108 h for 25,000 MT HSFO or gasoline; 84 h for 15,000 MT marine fuel, Fridays and holidays included
Demurrage and despatch do not apply, but the seller carries the cost of delays from documents or rejected cargo
Set as a discharge rate, for example 2,500 MT per weather working day, Fridays and holidays excluded
Quantity basis
Ship arrival figure measured by an independent inspector at the outer anchorage
100% weighment at silo or jetty; Final Discharge Report within 7 days
Draft surveys at load and discharge; weighment of bagged cargo
Quality check
Independent inspector samples vessel tanks on arrival (ASTM methods)
Joint hatch-wise samples tested by DG Food IDTS labs; BARI as referee
Independent inspection at load port; buyer may add its own
Summarised from recent Bangladesh government tender schedules and contracts (2024–2026) for general information. Terms change between tenders and packages. Always work from your own contract, and ask us if anything is unclear.
The notice clock
Government contracts run on notices. Miss one and laytime, payment or even acceptance of the vessel can be lost. These are the deadlines written into recent BPC, DG Food and BADC contracts.
10 days before loadingBPC: vessel nomination with Q88, VEF record and last three cargoes; buyer replies within 2 working days.
After loadingShipping advice to the buyer with B/L quantity, ETD and ETA. BPC asks for it within one hour of completion.
15 / 10 / 7 / 5 daysBADC: ETA notices to the buyer and the vessel's agent.
5 days before arrivalDG Food: arrival notice naming the ship's agent in Bangladesh, cargo, ETA and stowage plan.
96 / 72 / 48 / 24 hoursFinal ETA notices from the master (BPC 96/48/24 h; BADC 72/48/24 h).
On arrivalNOR inside the permitted window: 06:00–18:00 at Chattogram outer anchorage for BPC; office hours 08:00–17:00, Saturday to Thursday, for BADC.
Laytime rules that catch people out
Clause
How we protect you
NOR outside the window
A BPC NOR tendered outside 06:00–18:00 does not count for laytime. We plan arrival times and tender NOR the moment the window opens.
Arriving early or late
BPC laytime starts at 06:00 on the first day of the agreed date range if the vessel is early; if late, only when the vessel is all fast. We track the ETA against the delivery schedule from loading onwards.
Night navigation
Chattogram restricts night navigation at the outer anchorage. If lightering cannot start on arrival, BPC laytime waits until the next 06:00.
Shifting and weather
Shifting from anchorage to berth does not count. Bad weather and low tide stoppages are excluded or counted at 50% depending on the clause, so we log each stoppage in the SOF.
Draft surveys
Under BADC terms draft surveys count as laytime, so we line up surveyors before the vessel is ready.
Rejected cargo
On DG Food tenders a cargo that fails the IDTS primary test cannot be paid for, and every delay is the seller's cost. We push for early, joint sampling at the first hatch.
Where a local agent fits
Tenders allow offers through a local agent, who is jointly liable with the bidder
DG Food asks a local agent for a formal agency agreement and a recent bank solvency certificate
Contracts name the ship's agent in Bangladesh in arrival notices
BADC sends ETA notices directly to the vessel's agent
NOR may be tendered by the master or the vessel's agent
BPC pays no commission to local agents, so agency terms are agreed privately with the principal
Agent's view
Why this matters to you
On a government cargo, a missed notice or a sloppy SOF line is money. We give our principals one desk that knows the clauses, sees the clock, and builds the record that wins laytime and claims discussions.
Planning to bid or already holding an award? Send us the tender schedule. We will read it with you before you fix the vessel.
