Lighted buoy placed to avert ferry-pillar collision: Authorities

A floating lighted buoy was placed on Sunday at three kilometers south to the span numbers 12 and 13 of the under-construction Padma bridge to help ferries avoid colliding with the pillars, reports UNB.

The decision to place the buoy was taken in a meeting of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), Bangladesh Inland Water Transport and Corporation (BIWTC), Bangladesh Armed Forces, and the bridge authority over determining the procedures to protect the bridge pillars from collision with ferries on Shimulia-Bangla Bazar route.

According to the concerned authorities, as ferries have to face a strong current immediately after passing the Hajra channel on the way to Bangla Bazar to Shimulia, it becomes difficult for the navigators to control the ferry.

Now the ferries will target the buoy after passing Hajra channel and will be able to adjust the heading control with the current before reaching near the bridge, they said.

Already ferries have started moving targeting the buoy and the authorities are planning to place a spherical buoy later after conducting a hydrographic survey on Monday.