Govt files Tk 1b compensation suit for Sundarbans oil spill

The forest department has filed a case against the owners of the two ships involved in Tuesday’s collision leading to a deadly oil spill in Sundarbans’ Shela River. An inquiry has been started about the spillage of more than 350,000 litres of furnace oil after the collision. A 3-member body has been formed to probe the accident. It is headed by Assistant Conservator of Chandpai Range at Sundarbans’ West Zone Belayet Hossain. Meanwhile, three vessels of MS Harun & Co, the owner of the capsized oil tanker, have started salvage operations for the sunken ‘OT Southern Star 7’. Two ships have towed away the damaged vessel so that it does not fully sink. Two navy ships and two other ships of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) have rushed to the spot. The navy ships, however, are not equipped with proper equipment to remove the oil on the river, said Commander Monir Mallick of Bangladesh Navy’s Khulna region. Experts say oil from ‘OT Southern Star 7’, which sank early Tuesday after being hit by another vessel, spread around 20 kilometres of Shela River until Wednesday morning, according to a news agency.