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Published : 25 Dec 2022, 05:34 PM
The eco-diversity of a certain part of the river Meghna is in danger as a Chandpur-bound tanker carrying a large quantity of fuel has capsized after being hit by another vessel.
The tanker named Sagar Nandini-2, carrying an estimated 1.1 million litres of oil, collided in mid-river with another ship around 4 am on Sunday near the Kathirmatha area under the Bhola Sadar Upazila, said KM Shafiul Kinjal, media officer of Coast Guard’s south zone.
Sailors from other vessels on the river were able to rescue all the 13 crew members from the sinking tanker, he said.
Local fishermen present at the scene told bdnews24.com that the breach on the hull of the capsized tanker is causing it to leak oil.
One of the crew members, who could not be identified, said the visibility on the river was limited due to thick fog and that’s why the collision took place.
“We started from Chattogram port on Saturday to Chandpur. Everything was going perfectly until we reached Tulatoli [near Bhola]. The fog started to get thicker which subsequently reduced visibility and we slowed down our speed. After a while, another ship just hit engine room on the starboard side head-on, which damaged the hull of the tanker,” he said.
“The tanker started to sink immediately after the hit. We yelled and yelled for help but no one came to rescue us for a long time. Right before the tanker completely went underwater, a trawler carrying sand came to our aid eventually, he said.
Another crew member alleged that the fishermen who were operating near the sinking tanker siphoned off the oil from the tanker.
Coast Guard’s Shafiul, however, claimed that the overzealous fishermen who wanted to siphon off the oil from the river retreated after the authorities reached the spot.
Md Akhter Hossain, chief of Bhola’s Ilisha River Police Station, said a joint team of the Coast Guards and River Police has launched a clean-up operation of the oil.
In 2014, a tanker carrying an estimated 350,000 litres of oil collided in mid-river with another vessel in Sundarbans’ Shela river, and the subsequent oil spill caused massive damage to the wildlife and eco-diversity of the largest mangrove forest in the world.
