Bangladesh’s export success has never been just about competitive labour or entrepreneurial energy.

Shipping disruptions, cargo rerouting, and rising freight and insurance costs are set to increase business expenses

Approximately 20 million barrels of crude oil passed through Hormuz in 2024. Close to 27 percent of all global maritime petroleum trade passed through the strait in the first quarter of 2025. The strait is a critical, narrow chokepoint, with a 33-39 kilometers waterway between Oman and Iran.

Bangladesh’s energy security is increasingly vulnerable to Middle Eastern geopolitics, as it sourced over 50% of its LNG imports from Qatar, UAE in 2025

The strait is especially key to the world energy markets, with around 20 percent of global seaborne oil passing through.

Much of the oil flows to Asia, and particularly China which was the main buyer of Iranian crude