Body to probe Sundarbans river oil spill

The government formed a three-member body, finally, to probe capsize of an oil tanker which sank in a river in the Sundarbans with over 350,000 litres of furnace oil 30 hours after a collision.
The probe committee, led by Nautical Surveyor and Examiner of the Department of Shipping (DoS) Capt Md Giasuddin Ahmed, has been asked to submit its findings within 15 working days, Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan told reporters at the Secretariat Wednesday.
Two other members of the team are DoS special officer (Marine Safety and Executive Magistrate) Golam Mainuddin Hasan and Ship Inspector of the DoS (Khulna Division) Abu Jafar Mia.
The Shipping Minister said rescue ships Prottoy and Nirbhik have left for the spot of occurrence in the morning to salvage the sunken ship. "At the same time, Kandari-10 with special chemical left from the Chittagong Port but it will take extra time to reach there because of foggy weather," he said.
He also said stern action will also be taken against the ship responsible for the collision following the probe report.
Oil Tanker (OT) Southern Star-7, carrying eight crew, sank near the Mongla port at around 5:00am Tuesday, spilling oil over a vast area of the world's largest mangrove forest.
The tanker went down after a cargo vessel, Total MT (Motor Tanker), hit it from behind.
Of the crew, Master Mokhlesur Rahman still remains missing while seven others swam ashore safely.
When contacted, the Chief Engineer of the DoS said the department had given instructions to the authorities of both Chittagong and Mongla ports to implement the oil spill contingency plan whenever such an incident occurs.
He said the ship with chemical dispersant machine would reach the spot within Thursday morning. Dispersants are chemicals that are sprayed on a surface oil slick to break down oil into smaller droplets that are mixed readily with water. Dispersants do not reduce the quantity of oil endangering the environment, but push the effects of the spill under water.
The Chief Engineer said they have already temporarily suspended survey certificates of the ship Total MT (Motor Tanker) with the capacity of 1,500 tonnes soon after the collision that left biodiversity in and around the Sundarbans at risk. Seeking anonymity, another senior official at the DoS said the exact extent of the spill could not yet be determined till Wednesday morning. "But we heard that oil had spread over a 25-kilometre stretch till noon, moving towards the sea," he said.
The Bay of Bengal is nearly 40 kilometres away from the spot.
When asked about the delayed response to the oil spillage, he said they received the news of collusion at about 11:30am Tuesday and the minister was informed of it after 2:30pm on the day when he was in a meeting.
"Yes, the department and the ministry took much time to respond," he said, adding that they are yet to seek assistance of the IMO (International Maritime Organisation) to this effect.
He also said the ship violated the regulations by entering the river channel at night.
Talking to the FE, Manager of the Total MT Amir Hossain said the government should not have allowed such a ship, which does not have double layer facility and other fitness elements, in those river channels that are linked to the sea.
"We've survey and fitness certificates," he replied to a query.
Experts expressed concern over the incident saying this will extend a serious blow to the biodiversity of the mangrove forest.
General Secretary of the Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon Dr MA Matin said as oil will reduce the amount of oxygen in the water, it will create a crisis for all the aquatic animals including dolphins. Plants and aquatic resources of the mangrove forest would be fatally harmed.
The Sundarbans is the biggest roaming ground for this kind of dolphins, known as Irabati Dolphins or locally as Sushuk.
The area adjacent to the Shela River has been declared a sanctuary for the dolphins by the government.
According to agencies, the Forest Department Wednesday filed a Tk 1.0 billion (100 crore) compensation suit against the owners of the two vessels responsible for the oil tanker capsize in the Shela River.
An inquiry has been started about the spillage of more than 350,000 litres of furnace oil after the collision.
Abul Kalam Azad, Chandpai Eastern range forest official, lodged the compensation suit with Mongla Police Station here in the morning.
Voicing grave concern over the spillage of oil from the sunken oil tanker in a river of the Sundarbans over 50 to 60 kilometres, water and environment experts suggested the government to announce it a troubled area and employ army and coast guard members to quickly clear the oil and oil slick to save the biodiversity of the world's biggest mangrove forest.
"Instead of forming a probe body and finding out the reasons, the government should immediately employ the army and cost guard members in the Sundarbans to remove the oil tanker and spilled oil," water and environment expert Dr Ainun Nishat said.
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