Forest Dept seeks Tk 50 million in damages for vessel capsize in Sundarbans

The Forest Department has filed a case seeking Tk 50 million in damages over the sinking of a coal-laden vessel in Sundarbans' Sehla River.

Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) has temporarily closed the route through Shela River for commercial vessels.

The vessel ‘Sea Horse-1’ carrying 1,235 tonnes of coals sank after its bottom was ruptured on Saturday afternoon.

Efforts to salvage the vessel is yet to start nearly two days after the capsize.

The sunken vessel’s Master Sirajul Islam filed a general diary with the local police on Sunday.

On Monday, Chandpal Range’s Forester Sultan Mahmud filed a case against six, including the vessel’s owner, at Bagerhat’s Sharankhola police.

“The sinking of the coal-laden vessel has damaged the ecology of the Sundarbans and that’s why damages have been sought,” Divisional Forest Official Saidul Islam told bdnews24.com.

Meanwhile, the BIWTA has temporarily shut down plying of all vessels through the Shela River in an effort to avoid further mishaps.

Almost two days after the capsize efforts to salvage the vessel is yet to start.

BIWTA officials said that it would ‘take time’.

“The salvage vessels we have in Khulna and Barisal can pull out vessels weighing 250 tonnes. We have informed higher authorities and are in touch with the vessel’s owner,” said BIWTA Khulna Division Assistant Director Ashraf Hossain.

The sunken vessel, weighing around 75 tonnes, was carrying over 1,200 tonnes of coal.

In December 2014, an oil-tanker sunk in the same river sank spilling 357,664 litres of furnace oil it was carrying.

The massive oil spill had put the biodiversity and ecology of the Sundarbans, world's biggest mangrove forest and a world heritage site since 1997, at risk.

Since then environmentalists and different socio-cultural organisations have been demanding a ban on plying of cargo vessels through the Sundarbans.