Oil tanker catches fire in Chattogram, one killed, 47 rescued; sabotage suspected

One person was killed, and 47 others were rescued as a fire broke out on a tanker owned by the Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC) at the outer anchorage of Chattogram port late on Friday night. 

The authorities are suspecting sabotage as the cause behind the fire at MT Banglar Sourav. The deceased is Sadek Mia, 59, from Noakhali. He succumbed to his injuries while being taken to the hospital.

The fire erupted on the MT Banglar Sourav at around 12:30 am, just hours before it was set to dock at the port’s Dolphin Oil Jetty to unload its cargo of 11,000 tonnes of fuel oil. 

Speaking at a press conference at the BSC office on Saturday morning, its managing director Commodore Mahmudul Malek said the suspicion of sabotage cannot be ruled out, as a suspicious boat had passed by the tanker before sparks were seen in four separate areas of the deck. 

He also said an eight-member committee has been formed to investigate the incident.

It was the second fire at a tanker in less than a week. On Monday, the MT Banglar Jyoti caught fire following an explosion, when it was docked at the same jetty. It claimed three lives. 

With the latest one, a total of four people have lost their lives in two separate tanker incidents within five days.

The BSC MD also said the Navy, Coast Guard, and port tugboats promptly stepped in to control the fire and initiated a rescue drive. A total of 47 people were rescued unharmed from the tanker.