MT.BANGLARSHOURABH

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Three fires on four ships within two weeks raising questions about firefighint capacity and sanctioned cargoes

After three fires involving four ships in two weeks, port stakeholders in Chittagong were having questions about local firefighting capacity, and whether it was making sense to import sanctioned energy cargoes aboard questionable vessels. A major fire broke out aboard the 'B LPG Sophia' and 'Captain Nikolas' during an allegedly illegal ship-to-ship transfer off Kutubdia, Chittagong. The 'Captain Nikolas' was offloading its cargo to the Bangladeshi lighterage vessel, when a fire broke out aboard both vessels. All 31 crewmembers survived, but the the lighter tanker was significantly damaged. The LPG Operators Association of Bangladesh (LOAB) claimed that the origin of the cargo aboard the 'Captain Nikolas' was misdeclared, and that it actually came from Iran, a sanctioned supplier. The LOAB believed that customs officials were involved in this unlawful import arrangement, and that at least one additional vessel delivered a sanctioned Iranian LPG cargo. The 'Captain Nikolas' likely loaded a cargo of sanctioned Iranian LNG in the Persian Gulf with wo sister ships being engaged in the same trade. On Oct 15, Bangladesh's shipping ministry issued a circular urging importers to abide by the law on sanctioned vessels and cargoes, reminding companies that Bangladesh required maritime stakeholders to comply with U.S., UN and EU sanctions, and that violations expose Bangladesh to national security risks and reputational problems. The agency forbids any activities involving sanctioned cargo loading, unloading or transshipment in Bangladeshi waters. The incident with the two LPG tankers was the third major vessel fire near Chittagong within two weeks. A blaze broke out aboard the 'Banglar Shourabh' on Oct 4, killing one crew member, and a fire aboard the tanker 'Banglar Jyoti' killed three on Sep 30, prompting calls for more firefighting capabilities at Chittagong. The port has no dedicated firefighting vessels with the equipment to combat petroleum fires. Report with photo: https://maritime-executive.com/article/chittagong-vessel-fires-raise-questions-about-sanctions-and-safety

Another tanker of state owned shipping company exploded

On Oct 5, 2024, at 12:50 p.m., the 'Banlgar Shourabh' suffered an explosion and caught fire on the outer anchorage of Chittagong Anchorage at Charlie 1 buoy, between Patenga and Palkirchar. One crew member died after jumping off the tanker. The deceased was identified as Sadek Mia, 59, a general steward of the vessel. He died a couple of hours after jumping off. Earlier, the tanker had had loaded 11,055 tonnes of crude oil from the 'Omera Legacy', and was supposed to head towards the jetty. The Bangladesh Coast Guard's fire-fighting boats rushed to the spot and started work to extinguish the fire. At least six boats from the Coastguard, Bangladesh Navy and CPA followed. After the master called "abandon ship", at least 12 crew members jumped into the water. A joint rescue team rescued 36 people from the vessel. The other 12 were fished out of the water by nearby fishing trawlers and the Coastguard. The fire was completely brought under control by 4:00 p.m. The incident came just after the 'Bangla Yyoti' of the Bangladesh Shipping Corporation had caught fire after an explsion. Both the tankers were used for lightering bigger tankers anchored at the outer anchorage, and bringing crude oil to the Eastern Refinery Limited plant. Reports with photos: https://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/c07523f62ed0 https://www.newagebd.net/post/country/246991/bangladesh-shipping-corporation-vessel-catches-fire-in-ctg#google_vignette

Unknown amount of palm oil spilled in Karnaphuli

An undetermined amount of palm oil spilled into the Karnaphuli river yesterday after a moving tanker's anchor became entangled with a berthed one's mooring ropes, rocking the latter and ripping apart pipes through which the oil was being pumped from the latter into a tank on shore at Chittagong Port. Banglar Shourabh of Bangladesh Shipping Corporation was being berthed at River Mooring 7 when its anchor got snagged around 2:45pm with the mooring ropes of Feng Hai 15 which were attached to buoys, said the port's radio control sources. From the adjacent River Mooring 8, the Chinese-flagged tanker was being unloaded of around 7,481 tonnes of palm oil brought from Indonesia, as per Qazi Abu Nayeem, general manager of the vessel's agent, Mohammadi Trading Company Limited (MTCL).