Another ship named ‘Banglar Sourav’ owned by Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC) caught fire at the outer anchorage of Chittagong port. One died while undergoing treatment due to burns.
The fire incident took place in the middle of the sea at the Patenga beach area of Chittagong at 12:50 pm on Friday. The Navy, Coast Guard and Port Authority brought the fire under control after about four hours of effort.
Fire Service and Civil Defense Chittagong Office Mobilizing Officer Kofil Uddin confirmed the matter.
He said, after receiving the call of emergency service 999, we confirmed about the fire in the oil tanker. Several panicked sailors jumped into the sea before the rescue team arrived. Some were rescued by fishing trawlers. Later came the Navy and Coast Guard personnel. They rescued 48 sailors from the ship. But a sailor named Sadek died while undergoing treatment.
Radio control room of Chittagong port informed that the tanker was waiting for anchorage with 11 thousand six hundred metric tons of crude oil. A total of 50 people including the crew were working in it. After four hours of efforts, the fire was finally brought under control around 3 pm.
Last Monday (September 30) at 11 o’clock, an oil tanker called ‘Banglar Jyoti’ caught fire at Dolphin Jetty in Karnaphuli River. Three people died in this incident. Two investigation committees were formed in that incident.
According to BSC sources, BSC has two oil tankers in its fleet. Two tankers named ‘MT Banglar Jyoti’ and ‘MT Banglar Saurabh’ were built in 1987 in Denmark. The tankers collect crude oil from large tankers waiting at anchorage outside Chittagong port and bring it to various depots in Patenga.