Shipping dept for probe into attack on MV Banglar Samriddhi

The Department of Shipping is keen to investigate the recent attack on a Bangladeshi ship and the death of a sailor in the Black Sea in Ukraine during the ongoing Russia–Ukraine War.

It wrote a letter to the Ministry of Shipping on Sunday requesting action on the investigation, with a proposal to form a six-member committee headed by a joint secretary to the ministry.

Hadisur Rahman, third engineer of MV Banglar Samriddhi, a cargo vessel of Bangladesh Shipping Corporation, a state-run flag carrier, was killed in a rocket attack on the ship on March 2.

The ship’s bridge and other parts were also badly damaged and the ship worth $ 26.3 million was declared abandoned and 28 crews were evacuated to a bunker.

Chief Engineer Manjurul Kabir of the Department of Shipping said there had been no recent incidents of sailors being killed or assaulted on ships carrying Bangladeshi flag such as the one in Black Sea. The whole matter needs to be investigated.

“Under the existing law Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1983, investigation of such incidents is mandatory and the ministry has been requested to take necessary steps in this regard,” he added.

Sources in the Shipping Department said in the ordinance there is a provision and format of a high level inquiry committee. A joint secretary to the ministry would be the convener, and a principal officer of the shipping department of the proposed committee will be the member secretary.

This committee will find out the cause of the incident, the damage and who is responsible. It will also recommend necessary steps to be taken to avoid such accidents in the future.

MV Banglar Sommridhi, a ship owned by BSC, reached port Olivia in Ukraine on 22 February whereas a London-based joint war committee of the merchant shipping sector declared the area war-prone on February 15.

From there the ship was scheduled to go to Italy with the goods -- ceramic clay. Earlier when the Russian aggression started, the ship was waiting for the channel to be cleared.

During the Russia-Ukraine war, it was not immediately clear who carried out the rocket attacks on the Bangladeshi ship, and neither side claimed responsibility.

The 28 sailors and engineers of the ship, which was damaged in the war, crossed the Moldova border from Ukraine and entered Romania on Sunday.

“The sailors have entered Romania,” said Capt Mujibur Rahman, General Manager Chartering of BSC.

“The Moldovan border is about 200 kilometres from the Ukrainian port of Olivia. It took them three days to cross the road and reach Romania.”

They are currently staying in a hotel in Bucharest and arrangements and the process of their repatriation is underway.

An organisation of seafaring sailors Bangladesh Merchant Marine Officers Association demanded formation of a high-level inquiry committee at a press conference at the office on Strand Road in Chattogram Friday afternoon.

The association has blamed BSC for its negligence that caused the loss of life and property.

In a written statement at the press conference, its General Secretary Sakhwat Hossain said, “Sailors have to face death and misery due to the overall mismanagement of BSC in the operation of the ship that caused ultimate loss of the state-owned property.”

“Who will be responsible for this death and loss?” it posed the question.