CHITTAGONG, Sept 22: Mercantile Marine Office (MMO), Khulna, a branch of Mercantile Marine Department (MMD), Chittagong has remained manned with only one LDA (lower division assistant) for the last 15 months, sources concerned said.
Though six persons were recruited for the Khulna MMO in June 2013, they have been serving at the MMD, Chittagong without informing the ministry concerned, a highly-placed source told the FE today.
He said the person in charge (LDA) in the Khulna office issues NOCs (no objection certificates) for the ocean-going ships calling at Mongla port without verifying safety of the ships.
The LDA is not trained enough to issue safety certificates but he issues NOCs for 30 to 40 ships a month without supervision which has made shipping vulnerable, the sources said.
For instance, a Panamanian ship named MV Sino Grace called on Mongla port on September 11 last with a false declaration of length. The original length of the ship was 228 metres but it was shown 20 metres in the declaration.
The ship made an accident with an inland vessel named MV Hajee-1 on September 12 last. Hajee-1 sank with 1,000 tonnes of cement clinker. The Panama flag vessel was issued NOC by the said lower division clerk, the sources said.
"Sino Grace was over-length and as such she was supposed to hire a tug in Mongla port during her stay there. By doing so the Mongla Port Authority (MPA) also failed to earn revenue worth Tk 2.4 million as per rule which the foreign vessel was supposed to pay," a competent source said.
Equally, due to lack of proper supervision by the MMO, Khulna in terms of Port State Control (inspection done by an officer), a safety measure by International Maritime Organisation, the MPA has been deprived of around Tk 6.0 million in last 15 months on account of the PSC (Port State Control).
When contacted over his cell phone Ship Surveyor Engineer Sirajul Islam, however, confirmed that the six staff members and officials recruited for Khulna MMO have been working at the MMD, Chittagong since recruitment.
He told the FE that he was not authorised to say anything as the acting Principal Officer (PO) of the MMD, Chittagong Shafiqul Islam did not delegate authority on him to say anything. Shafiqul Islam is away to perform Hajj on a 45-day leave, he said adding that no officer was in charge of MMD, Chittagong in absence of the acting PO, MMD.
Sources at the Shipping Master Office (SMO) in Chittagong said two employees of their office have also been working at the MMD, Chittagong since 2012. Deputy Shipping Master Md Zakir Hossain Chowdhury said the two employees were recalled to the SMO in Chittagong at the instruction of the Director General (DG) Shipping Md Zakiur Rahman Bhuiyan but the employees are still working at the MMD, Chittagong "under mutual arrangement".
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