No effort to salvage sunken vessel near Mongla port after two days

Authorities are yet to start salvage operations to pull out the sunken coal-laden vessel in the fairway of the Mongla sea port two days after it capsized.

Port authorities said the coaster 'MV Aij Gati' is not causing any problems for other vessels as it sank outside the channel.

The coaster, carrying 1,000 metric tonnes of coal, sank around 8am on Friday in the Bay of Bengal at an area that is usually turbulent.

Its bilge was breached when it hit the shallow bottom around the seventh fairway and gradually sank.

The twelve crew members and four security personnel on board were rescued by another coaster.

Mongla's Harbour Master Commander Md Oliullah said they have written to the importer, Noahparha Traders in Jessore, to start salvage operations after identifying the sunken vessel's location.

"It's on the west side of the fairway. It's not creating any problem for other vessels, but we have told them to remove it."

He said they have been informed by the importer they were in touch with a salvage company in Chittagong to pull out the sunken vessel. "But if they fail, it's the port authorities, which has to do it."

Noahparha Traders' Manager Mizanur Rahman told bdnews24.com that they are arranging to salvage the ship and that they were in touch with the port authorities.

The port's stevedore agency MS Nuru and Sons proprietor HM Dulal said the sunken coaster is under 300 feet of water. "It would take 30 to 40 hours for a salvage vessel to pull it out."

The forest department does not foresee any adverse effect on the Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest in the world.

The coal-laden vessel has sunk quite far away from the forest, said Divisional Forest Officer (Sundarban East) Saidul Islam.

Experts agreed but did not rule out the possibility of the sunken coal seeping into the water bodies of the Sundarbans.

"High tides may sweep the coal into the rivers and canals of the forest," said Dilip Kumar Dutta, an Environmental Science teacher at the Khulna University.

In March last year, a coaster laden with 1,213 metric tonnes of coal sunk after its bilge was similarly damaged on impact with the Sundarban's Shella riverbed.

On Dec 9, 2014, a tanker sank in the same river, spilling a large volume of oil and threatening an ecological catastrophe.

Ever since then, various political, social and environmental groups have been calling for shutting down of the route.