8-K

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549



                                    FORM 8-K


                                 CURRENT REPORT


                       PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF
                     THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

                Date of report: (date of earliest event reported)
                         March 17, 2009 (March 16, 2009)

                           Blue Dolphin Energy Company
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)




           Delaware                        0-15905               73-1268729
(State or other jurisdiction of   (Commission file number)    (I.R.S. Employer
Incorporation or organization)                               Identification No.)


               801 Travis Street, Suite 2100, Houston, Texas 77002
                    (Address of principal executive offices)


                                 (713) 568-4725
                           (Issuer's telephone number)



Check  the  appropriate  box  below  if the  Form  8-K  filing  is  intended  to
simultaneously  satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the
following provisions:

|_|  Written communication pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR
     230.425)

|_|  Soliciting  material pursuant to rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR
     240.14a-12)

|_|  Pre-commencement   communications  pursuant  to  Rule  14d-2(b)  under  the
     Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

|_|  Pre-commencement   communications  pursuant  to  Rule  13e-4(c)  under  the
     Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))






ITEM 8.01    OTHER EVENTS.

         On March 17, 2009, Blue Dolphin Energy Company, a Delaware  corporation
("Blue  Dolphin"),  issued a press  release  announcing  that  its  wholly-owned
subsidiary,  Blue Dolphin Pipe Line Company,  entered into agreements to provide
gas and condensate  transportation  and production  handling  services for a new
producer/shipper.


ITEM 9.01    FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND EXHIBITS.

     (c)  Exhibits

          99.1     Blue Dolphin press release issued March 17, 2009.







                                    SIGNATURE



         Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended,  the  registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf
by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

Date:  March 17, 2009

                                                     BLUE DOLPHIN ENERGY COMPANY



                                                     By: /s/ Michael J. Jacobson
                                                         -----------------------
                                                         Michael J. Jacobson
                                                         President









                                INDEX TO EXHIBITS


Exhibit        Description of Exhibit
- -------        ----------------------

99.1           Blue Dolphin Energy Company Press Release Issued March 17, 2009.

EX-99.1

                                  EXHIBIT 99.1


                           BLUE DOLPHIN ENERGY COMPANY

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 17, 2009

BLUE DOLPHIN ENERGY COMPANY  REPORTS  ENTERING INTO NEW PIPELINE
TRANSPORTATION AGREEMENTS

Houston,  March 17 /  GlobeNewswire  / -- Blue Dolphin Energy  Company  (NASDAQ:
BDCO) ("Blue  Dolphin"),  an independent  oil and gas company with operations in
the Gulf of Mexico,  announced  today  that its  wholly-owned  subsidiary,  Blue
Dolphin  Pipe Line  Company  ("Company"),  has entered  into gas and  condensate
transportation and production handling agreements with a new producer/shipper to
deliver  production  into the Blue  Dolphin  Pipeline  system  at the  Company's
Galveston Block 288C platform.  Additionally,  as a result of  participation  in
development of the  successfully  drilled  prospect,  Blue Dolphin has earned an
overriding  royalty interest in the production.  The Company expects  production
and  transportation  services  to commence  later this month or by early  April.
Throughput volumes are not yet known.

The Blue Dolphin  Pipeline system gathers and transports gas and condensate from
various  offshore  fields in the  Galveston  Area in the Gulf of Mexico to shore
facilities in Freeport, Texas. The Company owns an 83% undivided interest in the
system.

Blue Dolphin  Energy Company is engaged in the gathering and  transportation  of
natural gas and  condensate and production of oil and gas in the Gulf of Mexico.
For     further     information     visit    the     Company's     website    at
http://www.blue-dolphin.com.
- ----------------------------

Contact:
- --------
T. Scott Howard
Treasurer
713-568-4725

Certain of the  statements  included  in this  press  release,  which  express a
belief,  expectation or intention,  as well as those regarding  future financial
performance or results, or which are not historical facts, are "forward-looking"
statements  as that term is defined in the  Securities  Act of 1933, as amended,
and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The words "expect", "plan",
"believe",  "anticipate",  "project",  "estimate",  and similar  expressions are
intended  to  identify   forward-looking   statements.   These   forward-looking
statements  are  not  guarantees  of  future  performance  or  events  and  such
statements involve a number of risks,  uncertainties and assumptions,  including
but not limited to  industry  conditions,  prices of crude oil and natural  gas,
regulatory changes,  general economic conditions,  interest rates,  competition,
and  other  factors.  Should  one  or  more  of  these  risks  or  uncertainties
materialize or should the underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results
and outcomes may differ  materially from those indicated in the  forward-looking
statements.  Readers  are  cautioned  not  to  place  undue  reliance  on  these
forward-looking statements,  which speak only as of the date hereof. The Company
undertakes  no  obligation to republish  revised  forward-looking  statements to
reflect  events  or  circumstances  after  the date  hereof  or to  reflect  the
occurrence of unanticipated events.

                                      # # #