Oil tanker capsize: JS body for realising compensation from importer
Oil tanker capsize: JS body for realising compensation from importer
A parliamentary body today recommended that the government realize compensation from the respective importer for damaging environment of the Sundarbans due to an oil tanker capsize in the Shela River.
The parliamentary standing committee on power, energy and mineral resources asked Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation to realize the compensation from the company that had imported furnace oil and was carrying that in a faulty oil tanker through the sensitive area of the world’s largest mangrove forest.
Over 3.58 lakh liters of furnace oil spilled from a tanker which sank in the river after being hit by a cargo vessel in Mongla upazila of Bagerhat on December 9.
The spilled oil already spread over 80 square kilometre areas including Joymoni, Nandobala, Andharmanik and Mrigomari in the Sundarbans causing threats to bio-diversity of the forest.
The oil tanker-- Southern Star-7-- was taking the oil to Gopalganj from Khulna Padma oil depot.
“The oil importer cannot avoid its responsibility for the incident. The tanker which was carrying the huge amount of oil was a faulty one and had no necessary papers from the respective authorities for using the route,” ABM Ruhul Amin Hawlader, a member of the committee, told The Daily Star.
The committee therefore asked the power and energy ministry to find out the amount of losses and impacts on the Sundarbans due to the incident and realize the money from the importer, added Hawlader, also a Jatiya Party lawmaker.
State Minister for Power and Energy Nasrul Hamid Bipu, committee members--Abu Jahir and Nasima Ferdaus, among others, were present in the meeting.
The committee also finalised examining the “Speedy Supply of Power and Energy (Special Provision) (Amendment) Act-2014” with recommendation for its passage in parliament.