Police seize cargo ship that hit tanker in Sundarbans

The cargo vessel that hit an oil tanker in the Sundarbans has been seized from Narayanganj.

Four of its crew have been arrested from the ship.

On Dec 9, the vessel 'MV Total' hit tanker 'OT Southern Star-7', which was carrying over 350,000 litres of furnace oil. The tanker sank and caused a massive oil spill in the rivers and canals of the Sundarbans.

Narayanganj's Superintendent of Police Khandakar Mahid Uddin said four of the crew along with the vessel were arrested in the wee hours of Monday from Bandar Upazila's Laxmankhola area.

Those arrested were the ship's captain 'Mostafa', 53, assistant captain Faruk Hossain, 34, Akkas Hossain, 28 and Piyar Ali, 28.

A shipping ministry statement released on Dec 10, however, claimed that the ship was detained from Bhola on the day after the mishap.

But the Narayanganj police say they were not aware of vessel seizure as claimed by the ministry.

Bandar Police Station OC Nazrul Islam said: "We don't know whether the vessel was seized before. We have detained the ship and its crew past midnight."

On Tuesday (Dec 9), the oil tanker sank in the Shela River that passes through the forest after being hit by the cargo vessel. It was carrying furnace oil for a power plant in Gopalganj.

The oil spill has adversely impacted on aquatic plants and wildlife in the world's largest mangrove forest.