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)
                        August 25, 2008(August 19, 2008)

                           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)                                       Identification No.)


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


                                 (713) 568-4725
                (Issuer's telephone number, including area code)



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 5.02      DEPARTURE  OF  DIRECTORS   OR  CERTAIN   OFFICERS;   ELECTION  OF
               DIRECTORS;   APPOINTMENT   OF  CERTAIN   OFFICERS;   COMPENSATORY
               ARRANGEMENTS OF CERTAIN OFFICERS.

         On August 19,  2008,  the Board of  Directors  of Blue  Dolphin  Energy
Company  (the  "Company"  or "Blue  Dolphin")  appointed  William J. Dale to the
positions of Chief Financial Officer,  Treasurer and Secretary.  In his position
as Chief  Financial  Officer,  Mr. Dale will serve as Blue  Dolphin's  principal
financial officer.  T. Scott Howard,  Blue Dolphin's current Accounting Manager,
Assistant  Treasurer  and  Assistant  Secretary,  will  serve  as the  Company's
principal accounting officer.  Mr. Dale's compensation  arrangement provides for
an annual base salary of $160,000 and a grant of stock options to acquire 75,000
shares of Blue Dolphin's  common stock at a market price to be determined on the
date of grant.  The stock options will vest over a three year period with 25,000
shares allocated on each anniversary date.

         Prior  to  joining  Blue  Dolphin,  Mr.  Dale,  39,  was the  Assistant
Treasurer for Rosetta Resources Inc. and was responsible for corporate  finance,
treasury,  planning and budgeting,  investor relations and insurance. He started
at Rosetta  Resources  Inc. in 2005.  He also  served as a Manager of  Financial
Reporting  and Analysis for Huber  Energy,  a privately  held entity of JM Huber
Corp., from 2004 to 2005, and as a Manager/Principal  of Structured Financing at
El Paso Corp. from 1999 to 2004. Mr. Dale received a dual  undergraduate  degree
in Business  Administration  in Finance and Accounting and a Masters of Business
Administration from the University of Houston.

         There is no arrangement  between Mr. Dale and any other person pursuant
to which he was  selected  as an  officer  of the  Company.  There is no  family
relationship  between Mr. Dale and any of the  Company's  directors or executive
officers.

         There have been no transactions or any currently proposed  transactions
in which the Company was or is to be a participant in which Mr. Dale had or will
have a direct or indirect material  interest other than Mr. Dale's  compensation
arrangement as described herein.












                                    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:  August 25, 2008

                                                     BLUE DOLPHIN ENERGY COMPANY


                                                     /s/ MICHAEL J JACOBSON
                                                     ----------------------
                                                     MICHAEL J JACOBSON
                                                     PRESIDENT