Chattogram-bound cargo ship sinks near Phuket, crew rescued

The 16 crew members, who are all Bangladeshi, have been rescued

MV SEALLOYD ARC, a Chittagong Port-bound Panama-flagged vessel carrying cargo from Malaysia, has sunk off the coast of Thailand’s Phuket.

The vessel sank on Saturday afternoon.

All 16 Bangladeshi crew members aboard were rescued.

According to the ship’s Bangladeshi agent Alvi Lines Bangladesh, the vessel went down around 3:30pm local time, four nautical miles off Phuket.

Operational Manager Borhan Uddin said the ship, en route from Malaysia’s Port Klang to Chittagong Port, tilted 30 degrees and partially submerged near the coast.

“The captain later declared the ship abandoned. All 16 crew members, who are Bangladeshi, were rescued and taken to a hotel in Phuket. They are all safe,” Borhan said.

The ship departed Port Klang on Feb 5, expected to arrive at Chattogram on Feb 12.

The rescued crew are expected to return home in a few days.

The cause of the ship’s tilting and sinking is not yet known.