After Bashundhara’s LPG-carrying ship “Sophia,” another ship named “Captain Nicholas” caught fire in Kutubdia Channel of Bay of Bengal. The Coast Guard and Navy rescue team rescued 31 people from the ship alive.
This is the third incident of fuel tanker fire in Bangladesh waters in two weeks.
Atiq U Khan, who worked as a captain in various domestic and foreign commercial ships, said on the matter, “Four ships catching fire in a span of 12 days is unusual. I have not seen anything like this in the last 30 years.
“Not even a week has passed since the fire of BSC ship Jyoti and Sourav. The fire broke out when the mother vessel Nicholas was separated from the lightering operation. I served on foreign vessels for 25 years. A very high standard of security was in place and maintained.”
He continued, “Four consecutive fires and explosions in domestic ships within 12 days is undoubtedly a very unusual occurrence. A high-level inquiry committee needs to be formed to look into whether these accidents are a sabotage attack on the country's energy sector.
“Other ship safety measures also need to be improved. The patrol boats in the port can keep a round-the-clock vigil.”
Last Saturday around 1:30am, a fire occurred in the Tanzanian flagged big tanker “Captain Nicholas” which was carrying LPG from Bashundhara in Kutubdia channel.
Earlier on September 30, around 11:15am, an oil tanker named “Banglar Jyoti” owned by the Bangladesh Shipping Corporation caught fire after an explosion at the Dolphin Jetty of Chittagong Port. Three people died in that incident.
Then on October 5 another oil tanker named “Banglar Sourav” caught fire outside Chittagong port. That ship is also owned by the state-owned company Bangladesh Shipping Corporation. However, those concerned have commented that things are unusual.
It is known that “LPG Sophia” owned by Bashundhara Group has been damaged by fire. It was loaded with LPG gas. After 11 hours of efforts after the fire of the ship, the fire-fighting and rescue team brought the blaze under control.
However, the large Tanzanian flagged tanker “Captain Nicholas” brought the fire under control with own efforts. There was reportedly no major damage.
It is known that five companies have imported a total of 42,925 tons of LPG or liquefied petroleum gas by “Captain Nicholas” tanker. Last Friday, 3,250 tonnes of LPG was transferred in one of these tankers.
The latest fire incident occurred during the second phase of transfer.
Coast Guard East Zone Media Officer Lt Commander Khandaker Munif Taki said the fire was completely brought under control at around 12 noon on Sunday with the efforts of Coast Guard and Navy personnel.
He added that the fire-fighting and rescue teams are still working to avoid the risk of fire again inside the ship.
The Coast Guard official further mentioned, “The lighterage ship anchored in the Bay of Bengal west of Kutubdia coast on its way to Chittagong port. A sudden fire broke out in the ship on Saturday midnight and the situation turned dire.
“After receiving the information through the upazila administration of Kutubdia and the locals, two ships of the Coast Guard and five ships of the Navy arrived at the spot to tame the blaze and rescue the crew. The ship had a total of 31 crew members. All of them were rescued alive.”
Taki continued, “After receiving first aid, they have been staying in Hotel Agrabad in Chattogram. The Coast Guard and related parties are making inquiries to find out if it was just an accident, or some kind of sabotage.”
Meanwhile, Chattogram Port Secretary Md Omar Farooq said, “The navy, coast guard and port fire-fighting vessels are working to extinguish the fire. All sailors and workers have been rescued safely.”
