BSC ship fire leaves a crew member dead

The fire that broke out in a Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC) vessel near the Naval Academy in Chattogram’s Patenga area has left a crew member dead.

The deceased was as Md. Sadek, 43.

According to the deceased's colleagues, Sadek died after jumping into the Karnaphuli River in an attempt to escape the fire.

Of the 48 crew members onboard, 47 others were rescued by a joint team from the Navy and Coast Guard.

Sources from the Shipping Corporation said the ship was carrying 11,600 metric tons of crude oil, which was being unloaded from a mother vessel for refining.

The fire, which occurred in ship MT Banglar Saurav early Friday (October 4), follows closely on the heels of a recent fire and subsequent explosion on another BSC tanker, MT Banglar Jyoti, that claimed three lives earlier this week.

According to sources, the fire started after an explosion on the vessel, which had been anchored in the Bay of Bengal near the Karnaphuli River.

Fire service officials confirmed that while their team responded quickly, they were unable to control the blaze as the ship was located in the middle of the river.

Fire Service Chattogram Divisional Deputy Assistant Director Abdur Razzak said, "We received information from 999 that a ship named Banglar Saurav was on fire in the Bay of Bengal. I spoke to the navy, and they also confirmed the fire. But what can the fire service do in the sea! Still, we have instructed the Karnaphuli and EPZ Fire Service to respond."

The Bangladesh Merchant Mariners Association expressed concerns about the age of the ships.

Both MT Banglar Saurav and MT Banglar Jyoti were built in Denmark in 1987 and have been operating for over 30 years, despite the international standard lifespan for such vessels being 20 to 25 years.

The two ships primarily transfer crude oil from larger tankers anchored offshore to various depots in Patenga.