5 A crew member died after the Bangladesh Shipping Corporation’s oil tanker, ‘MT Banglar Shourabh,’ caught fire at the outer anchorage of Chattogram Port on Saturday. This happened just five days after another fire on the corporation’s other oil tanker.
BSC officials think the fire on ‘MT Banglar Shourabh’ might have been an act of sabotage.
The crew member, Sadek Mia, 60, was from Cumilla district. He jumped into the water to escape the flames but was found unconscious. Sadek was taken to Chattogram Medical College Hospital, where doctors said he had died.
The fire started around 12:50 am on Saturday, according to officials. The Bangladesh Navy, Coast Guard, and Chittagong Port Authority worked for about three hours to control the fire, said Lieutenant Shakib Mehbub from the Coast Guard.
Out of the 50 crew members on board, 12 jumped into the water after the explosion. While 38 crew members were rescued from the tanker, 11 of those who jumped into the water were found conscious. Sadek, however, was found unconscious and declared dead at the hospital.
Kofil Uddin, a Fire Service officer, said they received an emergency call through the national helpline 999 and responded quickly. Some crew members, in a panic, jumped into the sea and were rescued by fishing boats and the Coast Guard.
BSC managing director Commodore Mahmudul Malek, at a press conference, said the fire at four spots on the tanker might be an act of sabotage. He explained that there was no explosion on board, which made them suspicious. He added that bad weather at night made it hard to control the fire.
He said the cause of the fire wasn’t gas or anything they knew of, leading to concerns that it could have been deliberate. An investigation will determine the exact cause.
Shipping affairs adviser Brigadier General (retired) M Sakhawat Hossain expressed sadness over the death and ordered an inquiry to investigate the fire. The Ministry of Shipping also released a statement ensuring full support for Sadek’s family and asked the BSC to report on the cause of the fire soon.
The tanker was carrying 11,600 tonnes of crude oil, which was being moved from a larger vessel for refining. The Bangladesh Shipping Corporation operates two oil tankers, ‘MT Banglar Jyoti’ and ‘MT Banglar Shourabh,’ to transfer oil at the port’s outer anchorage.
Just days earlier, on September 30, an explosion and fire on ‘Banglar Jyoti’ at Dolphin Jetty killed three people.
