BAGERHAT, May 8 (UNB): The fertiliser-carrying cargo vessel that capsized in the Bhola River at Sarankhola range of the Sundarbans West Zone on Tuesday noon could not be salvaged even after four days of the incident.
Forest Department staff failed to remove the remaining of the fertilisers from inside the sunken cargo despite hectic efforts for the last two days using dredger machine. If the toxic chemical fertiliser gets mixed into the water of a vast area, it will pose a severe threat to the mangrove ecosystem.
A high-level inquiry committee of the Environment and Forest Ministry visited the spot vessel on Friday morning and collected information over the incident.
Joint director of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) Khulna, AKM Abul Bashar said the cargo vessel ran aground in a char around 2000 feet off the main channel and then sank.
As it sank far from the main channel, the vessel owner will have to salvage it. If they fail to do it within a month it will be sold in auction. A letter will be sent to the vessel owner soon in this regard, he said.
Sundarbans east zone Sharankhola range assistant conservator of forest (ACF) Kamaluddin said now the cargo vessel is being covered with silt. Meanwhile, the cargo vessel has been covered by 2 to 3 feet silt, he said.
Although the Forest Department filed a case against four people, including the vessel owner, no one has been arrested yet in this connection.
The cargo vessel - 'Jabalenoor' - was carrying about 200 tonnes of potash fertiliser, according to Amir Hossain Chowdhury, Divisional Forest Officer of the Sundarbans East Zone.
The district administration has formed a probe body to investigate the incident, he added.
Sunken fertiliser-laden vessel in Sundarbans yet to be salvaged
FE Team | Published: May 09, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
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