Ship-breaker fined Tk 2cr by DoE for flouting rules

Department of Environment (DoE) in Chattogram has fined a ship-breaking company Tk 2 crore for breaking a ship -- which was stranded for two years at Parki Beach of Anowara upazila in Chattogram -- without its clearance.

The company, Four Star Enterprise, was fined in a hearing at DoE Chattogram regional office on Sunday.

Bodrul Huda, assistant director of DoE Chattogram region, told The Daily Star that the ship, MV Crystal Gold, got stranded during cyclone Mora two years ago.

Four Star Enterprise started dismantling the ship recently by installing fences around the ship without DoE's clearance, he said, adding that the dismantling caused major damage to flora and fauna of the beach.

“DoE issued a notice to Four Star Enterprise to appear in a hearing on Sunday and fined Tk 2 crore after the hearing,” Bodrul said. 

The company bought the ship recently in a bidding called by the High Court, which floated the tender after a group of sailors of the ship filed a case with the court seeking a remedy to their situation.