Engineer on Bangladeshi ship killed amid Russian attack on Ukraine

An engineer on board the Bangladeshi vessel ‘MV Banglar Samriddhi’, which is stranded at a port in Ukraine, has been killed amid Russia’s invasion of the Eastern European country.

The victim, Hadisur Rahman, was the third engineer of the ship belonging to the state-owned Bangladesh Shipping Corporation, or BSC.

The vessel, which bears the Bangladeshi flag, had docked at the Ukrainian port of Olvia before Russia invaded.

The bulk carrier, with 28 Bangladeshi sailors on board, is now trapped at the port amid the escalating military conflict.

“A shell struck the ship,” said Commodore Suman Mahmud Sabbir, BSC managing director, around midnight on Wednesday.

“The shell detonated on the bridge, where third engineer Hadisur Rahman was on duty, and killed him.”

“The other 28 crewmen are unharmed and the fire has been put out.”

On Feb 27, BSC General Manager Captain Mujibur Rahman had told bdnews24.com that the vessel could start its journey back within two days once the channel cleared.

The vessel was scheduled to pick up a shipment of goods from the port, but given the circumstances, the shipment was cancelled, he said.

The ship had been safely docked until that day and the official said all sailors were healthy and safe and had sufficient food and water to meet their needs.

The emptied vessel set off from Turkey’s Eregli port on Feb 21 and reached the Ukrainian port on Feb 22.

BSC officials say the port is not currently operational due to the war.

The sea-faring ‘MV Banglar Samriddhi’ was assigned to the BSC fleet in 2018.