Only double hull tankers to be allowed from Feb next

FE Report | Published: January 22, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00

The government has decided to allow oil tankers having double hull and double bottom only to carry heavy grade oil on inland coastal routes from February next aiming to evade incidents like that occurred in the Shela River in the Sundarbans.
The decision was taken on Wednesday at a meeting at the Ministry of Shipping (MoS) with Minister Shajahan Khan in the chair.
Minister for Environment and Forest Anwar Hossain, Prime Minister's Energy Adviser Dr Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, Secretary to Energy and Mineral Resources Division Abu Bakar Siddique, MoS Additional Secretary Rafiqul Islam, Chairman of Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation A M Badrudduja, Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) Chairman Mizanur Rahman and Director General of Department of Environment Raisul Alam Mondal attended the meeting.
The meeting was organised to resolve disputes among members of the Bangladesh Petroleum Tankers Association and Bangladesh Oil Transportation Ship Owners Association.
It was decided that only single hull double bottom tankers will be allowed to transport heavy grade oil provided they have fitness certificates from the classification society and are aged below 25 years.
Besides, construction of hull class coastal tanker will remain stopped from now. "Both the hull and machinery of coastal tankers should be of class."
The meeting also decided that coastal tankers having no load line certificates and which are graded as non-class will be given chance for turning into class vessels in two years. If they fail, they will have to change registration under the Inland Shipping Ordinance, 1976.
The shallow and inland tankers crossing the bay will be allowed to cross it between November 15 and March 15 when it remains calm.
The meeting also decided that from now on coastal tankers of full class and hull class will have to go through an annual fitness survey conducted by the globally recognised classification society.
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