Another BSC ship catches fire in Ctg, one dies

CHATTOGRAM, Oct 05: Just five days after an explosion on a ship, another oil tanker named 'MT Banglar Sourav' caught fire at the outer anchorage of Chittagong port, resulting in the death of a crew member. The accident occurred at 1 am on Friday night.

Last week, Banglar Jyoti, an oil tanker owned by Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC), caught fire at the Dolphin Jetty of the port.

The sailor, identified as Mohammed Sadek Mia (60), died after jumping off the ship to save his life during the fire. A total of 36 sailors were rescued from the BSC tanker, although there were at least 42 sailors on board.

Lieutenant Commander Abrar Hassan of the Bangladesh Coast Guard (BCG) stated that the fire broke out between 12:55 am and 1:00 am on Saturday. BCG's speed boats initiated the rescue operation, saving 36 people with the help of four speedboats. A BCG tugboat was also deployed to control the fire.

Commodore Mahmudul Malek, Managing Director (MD) of the BSC, expressed concerns that the consecutive fires on the oil tankers could be sabotage attempts to disrupt national energy security.

UNB adds: Bangladesh Merchant Mariners Association  expressed concerns over the age of the ships.

Both MT Banglar Saurav and MT Banglar Jyoti were built in Denmark in 1987 and had been in operation for over 30 years, exceeding the international standard lifespan of 20 to 25 years.

These two ships primarily transport crude oil from larger tankers anchored offshore to various depots in Patenga.

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