Fire on LPG vessels under control, probe body formed

CHATTOGRAM, Oct 13 (Agencies): A lighter ship named 'Sofia' and mother vessel 'Captain Nicholas' caught fire at the outer anchorage in the Bay of Bengal, west of Kutubdia, at around 12:55am Sunday.
Mother vessel 'Captain Nicholas' caught fire on its deck while it transferring Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) to lighter vessel Sofia last night. Later, the fire broke out at lighter vessel 'Sofia'.
Firefighters and rescue workers managed to bring the fire on the ships under control after more than 11 hours of effort.
31 people, including 18 crew comprising nine Bangladeshis, eight Indonesians, and one Indian, were rescued
This incident marks the fourth fuel vessel catching fire within Bangladesh's maritime borders in the past two weeks.
A blast on board the Bangladesh Shipping Corporation-owned 'Banglar Jyoti' oil tanker at the Chattogram Port's Dolphin Jetty on Sept 30 resulted in the deaths of three people.
Then, on Oct 5, another fire broke out on the 'Banglar Sourav' oil tanker at the outer anchorage of the Chattogram Port, also owned by the Bangladesh Shipping Corporation.
The Coast Guard is conducting inquiries to determine whether the incident on Sunday was an accident or an act of sabotage.
Shipping and Textiles Adviser Brigadier General (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain has expressed deep concern over the recent ship fires and instructed authorities to enhance security measures for vessels. A probe was initiated following the directive of adviser.
Mohammad Shahadat Hossain, acting Kutubdia upazila nirbahi officer confirmed the matter, stating that they have informed the higher authorities, Bangladesh Navy, and Coast Guard.
The fire on the vessels began around 12:45 am on Sunday while it was in the western outer anchorage on the Kutubdia coast.
The fire was eventually brought under control around noon with support from Coast Guard and Navy personnel, according to Lt. Commander Khandark Munif Taki, a spokesman for the Coast Guard.
Firefighting and rescue efforts continued until Sunday night due to the risk of the fire flaring up again.
The Coast Guard official mentioned that the LPG carrier had anchored on its way to the Chattogram Port when the massive blaze started.
Two Coast Guard vessels and five Navy vessels initiated firefighting and rescue operations upon receiving reports from locals and the Kutubdia Upazila administration.
Locals reported that the 'B-LPG Sofia' vessel caught fire with a big bang when it was at the outer anchorage of the Chittagong Port around 1 am.
The divisional Fire Service and Control Defence (FSCD) control room in Chattogram mentioned there was an Indonesian chief officer on the vessel.
An eight-member probe committee has been formed to investigate the fire on the LPG-carrying ship.
The Chittagong Port Authority formed the committee following the directive of M Sakhawat Hossain.
Commodore M Fazlar Rahman, a member of the Chittagong Port Authority (Harbor and Marine), will lead the investigation committee.
Other members include Captain Md Faridul Alam, Deputy Conservator at Chittagong Port; Navy Commander Rafiqul Islam; Coast Guard Lt. Commander Md Rakibul Islam Tanveer; Lt. Md Noor Ashraful Aziz from DGFI; a designated representative from NSI; a designated representative from the Fire Service & Civil Defence; and Captain Sayed Ahmed, Controller of the Maritime Education (CC) Directorate of Shipping in Chittagong.
The committee has been tasked to submit its report within the next five working days.
Its objectives include determining the cause of the fire in MT Captain Nicholas and B-LPG Sofia, assessing the international standards for LPG transportation, evaluating the suitability of the transported LPG, determining damages and liability arising from the incident, and formulating recommendations to prevent similar accidents in the future.
The committee may also review any related matters and submit its findings.