Strong VTS and tide bulletin broadcast suggested for Ctg Port
Sunday, 15 May 2011
Our Correspondent
CHITTAGONG, May 14: The Chittagong Port Authority lacks a strong vessels traffic system (VTS) and radio control facilities to make the calling ships sufficiently aware of the tide and currents in the port channel. Engineer and nautical surveyor of Mercantile Marine Department in Chittagong Sirajul Islam said this in a probe report on the sunken Korean ship MV Hyang Ro Bong. The report has been sent to the office of DG Shipping in Dhaka recently. Mr Islam, who headed the three-member investigation committee, has also blamed the Port Authority for not prohibiting anchorage of scrap vessels at the port channel, which according to him is one of the reasons behind repeated collisions of cargo vessels calling at the port. Principal Officer of the MMD in Chittagong Captain Habibur Rahman constituted the inquiry committee following the clash between Hyang Ro Bong and Bangladesh flag vessel MV Bangalanka at the outer anchorage of the port on April 6 last. The Korean flag vessel itself sank with 13492 metric tonnes of rice imported for the government of Bangladesh although it dashed the Bangladesh flag vessel. The probe committee however held the Korean flag vessel responsible for the accident and suggested to the government for declaring the Master and Third Officer of the ship persona non grata in the Bangladesh waters. The foreign ships legal consultant in Bangladesh Captain Mohiuddin Abdul Kader said the report was not acceptable because there is no provision of declaring a Master Mariner or officer persona non grata as per laws of the international maritime organisation (IMO). The nautical surveyor of the Shipping Department has said that lack of strong vessels traffic system (VTS) in the Chittagong Port and inadequate knowledge of crews of ships calling at the port about tide and currents in the port channel sometimes lead to incidents. He suggested strengthening of the VTS system of the port and broadcast radio bulletins on tide and currents of the port channel every half an hour from the port's radio control system so that the calling ships' crews get a fair knowledge about the currents in the port.
CHITTAGONG, May 14: The Chittagong Port Authority lacks a strong vessels traffic system (VTS) and radio control facilities to make the calling ships sufficiently aware of the tide and currents in the port channel. Engineer and nautical surveyor of Mercantile Marine Department in Chittagong Sirajul Islam said this in a probe report on the sunken Korean ship MV Hyang Ro Bong. The report has been sent to the office of DG Shipping in Dhaka recently. Mr Islam, who headed the three-member investigation committee, has also blamed the Port Authority for not prohibiting anchorage of scrap vessels at the port channel, which according to him is one of the reasons behind repeated collisions of cargo vessels calling at the port. Principal Officer of the MMD in Chittagong Captain Habibur Rahman constituted the inquiry committee following the clash between Hyang Ro Bong and Bangladesh flag vessel MV Bangalanka at the outer anchorage of the port on April 6 last. The Korean flag vessel itself sank with 13492 metric tonnes of rice imported for the government of Bangladesh although it dashed the Bangladesh flag vessel. The probe committee however held the Korean flag vessel responsible for the accident and suggested to the government for declaring the Master and Third Officer of the ship persona non grata in the Bangladesh waters. The foreign ships legal consultant in Bangladesh Captain Mohiuddin Abdul Kader said the report was not acceptable because there is no provision of declaring a Master Mariner or officer persona non grata as per laws of the international maritime organisation (IMO). The nautical surveyor of the Shipping Department has said that lack of strong vessels traffic system (VTS) in the Chittagong Port and inadequate knowledge of crews of ships calling at the port about tide and currents in the port channel sometimes lead to incidents. He suggested strengthening of the VTS system of the port and broadcast radio bulletins on tide and currents of the port channel every half an hour from the port's radio control system so that the calling ships' crews get a fair knowledge about the currents in the port.