Ship Tilting in Bay: 16 days in, 20 containers feared gone overboard

Anxiety and frustration continue to grow among importers whose goods-filled containers are yet to be salvaged following the tilting of a vessel in the Bay of Bengal near the Bhasan Char coast 16 days ago.  

Several of the importers claimed to have spotted, with the help of locals, at least five containers that washed ashore at Bhasan Char and Sandwip.

However, at least two had been cut open and all the goods inside looted, they said.

Pangaon Express was transporting 72 import-laden containers from the Chattogram port to Pangaon Inland Container Depot in Dhaka when it tilted to one side due to strong waves on July 6.

This sent three containers overboard and the ship became grounded.

Most of the containers had imported goods like raw materials of garment factories, motor spare parts, mobile accessories, electronics and artificial flowers.

Though the ship later returned to an upright position after several more containers apparently went overboard, it continues to be partially submerged whenever the tide rises.

A salvage firm was initially called to the scene for assessments but a deal could not be reached with the ship's operator, Sea Glory Shipping Agency.

The delay in running salvage operations prompted the Chittagong Port Authority to summon the operator's officials on July 13 and emphasise on initiating the rescue operations.

On July 18 Sea Glory Shipping Agency finally signed a Tk 3 crore deal with private firm PS Shipping to salvage the ship in 45 days.

The plan is to pass several iron wires beneath the ship and to tie those to 4 to 6 barges on both sides to prevent the ship from sinking further, said Sea Glory Shipping Agency General Manager Jahir.

After three days of efforts, it was possible for the first barge to anchor around 1,000 feet away from the sunken ship on Saturday, he said.

The rough seas made it a tough job and it may take several more days for the whole operation to be completed, he added.

The importers opined that the goods could have been saved from being damaged or stolen had salvage operations been initiated immediately.

The ship's operating firm, Sea Glory Shipping Agency, blamed adverse weather for the delay.

Jahir Uddin Jewel, managing director of Sea Glory Shipping Agency, assumes that around 15 to 20 containers might have gone overboard.

A Hossain Enterprise, a private firm of Imamganj, Dhaka, had a container loaded with artificial flowers worth Tk 70 lakh imported from China.

Proprietor Ashraf Hossain said he got hold of a video footage showing goods being stolen from the container which had its sides cut open on the coast of Bhasan Char.

"I also came to know that some of the stolen flowers were being sold at local markets at the Rohingya camp in Bhasan Char and police seized those," he said.

Officer-in-Charge Humayun Kabir of Bhasan Char Police Station confirmed it to this correspondent.

Hossain said prompt steps should have been taken to locate and safeguard the containers.

Like Hossain, a number of importers are fearing loss of their cargoes as the salvage operation was yet to be fully initiated.