CHATTOGRAM, Nov 15: Mother vessel Captain Nikolas and lighterage vessel Sophia caught fire in Kutubdia in October due to the inefficiency, carelessness, and negligence of sailors and Bangladesh Shipping Corporation officials, the investigation report says.
The investigation committee of the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) also concluded that the fire was not an act of sabotage. It submitted the report to CPA Chairman Rear Admiral SM Moniruzzaman on Thursday.
Nikolas, which reportedly imported liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from countries under international sanctions, and Sophia caught fire in the outer anchorage of the Chittagong port in the early hours of October 13. There were no reported casualties. The fire broke out when Nikolas was transferring LPG to Sophia.
The probe report said the main cause of the accident was the carelessness and negligence of the Nikolas sailors. The ship was the first to catch fire. Sophia and Captain Nicholas were moored side by side in the deep sea. There were five ropes in the front and another five in the back of the vessels.
LPG was being transferred through hose pipes. One of the five front ropes snapped first at 12:10am. Within the next 20 minutes, the remaining four snapped, which caused the ships to move away, resulting in pressure on the hose pipes.
At one stage, the hose pipes burst and LPG began leaking. The leaked LPG took about five minutes to convert to gas. The fire started at 12:25am on Nikolas. Then the five ropes in the back caught fire, which spread to Sophia.
Sophia's sailors repeatedly tried to inform Nikolas' captain of the accident, but the latter did not respond. As a result, the fire intensified. The Nikolas fire was extinguished by its own fire-fighting system, but Sophia burned for 36 hours, the investigation report said.
CPA Secretary Mohd Omar Faruk said the investigation report had attributed the fire to the carelessness of those on board.
"Had they been more alert and vigilant on the night shift, the accident could have been avoided to some extent," he said, adding it was not an act of sabotage.
The CPA formed the investigation committee after the accident. CPA Member (Harbour and Marine) Commodore M Fazlar Rahman led it.
Other members are Captain Md Faridul Alam, deputy conservator at CPA; Navy Commander Rafiqul Islam; Coast Guard Lt Commander Md Rakibul Islam Tanveer; Lt Md Noor Ashraful Aziz from the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence; two designated representatives from the National Security Intelligence and the Department of Fire Service and Civil Defence; and Controller of the Maritime Education Directorate of Shipping in Chattogram Captain Sayed Ahmed. The committee visited Sophia three times.
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