Fire breaks out on cooking oil tanker at Chittagong Port’s outer anchorage

The vessel’s 22 crew member have been safely rescued after the blaze sparked in the engine room

A fire has broken out on an edible oil tanker at the Chittagong Port outer anchorage in the Bay of Bengal.

Chittagong Port tugboats, the Coast Guard, and Navy personnel launched firefighting operations after the blaze on board the vessel “MT Meghna Traders” after the fire was reported at 7:25am on Thursday.

The Coast Guard's media wing said the force’s Shyamal Bangla and BCGT Pramatta ships, two high-speed boats, and personnel from the Chittagong Base and Patenga Outpost took part in the operation.

Twenty-two crew members were safely rescued from the vessel.

Chittagong Port Chief Personnel Officer Nasir Uddin said the fire started on the ship’s engine room while it was at the Outer Anchorage Charlie near Anwara Parki Beach.

The fire has been brought under control, he said.

Nasir said the vessel had brought RBD soybean oil from Indonesia. It arrived at the outer anchorage at Chittagong Port on Tuesday.