Vessel with 1,100 tonnes of coal sinks in the Bay

A lighter vessel with around 1,100 tonnes of coal sank in the Bay of Bengal yesterday morning.

All 12 members of the crew were rescued by a fishing boat, said Ataul Karim, joint secretary of Water Transport Cell, a private organisation that allocates lighter vessels. 

Bangladesh Coast Guard Staff Officer (Operations) Lt Commander Saiful Islam said the accident occurred near Sanghu Gas Field around 16 nautical miles off the Patenga coasts in Chattogram.

Ataul said the vessel was on its way to a ghat in Dhaka after loading the coal from a mother vessel at the outer anchorage of the Chattogram port.

Saidul Islam, manager of the vessel’s agent company -- Mohammadi Shipping Agent Limited -- told The Daily Star, “The sea was turbulent and one of the two engines of the vessel malfunctioned. The vessel lost control and went down.”

“Fortunately, there were some fishing boats nearby and one of them rescued the crew members,” he said. 

Contacted, Deputy Director of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (Chattogram) Mohammad Selim said navy and coast guard members were carrying out a rescue operation.