Shawdesh desk:

In yet another incident, a fire has broken out in a Bangladesh Shipping Corporation vessel near the Naval Academy in Chattogram’s Patenga area.

The fire, which occurred in ship MT Banglar Saurav on early Friday, follows closely on the heels of a recent fire and subsequent explosion on another BSC tanker, MT Banglar Jyoti, that claimed three lives earlier this week.

According to sources, the fire started after an explosion at the vessel, which had been anchored in the Bay of Bengal near the River Karnaphuli.

Fire service officials confirmed that while their team responded quickly, they were unable to control the blaze as the ship was located in the middle of the river.

However, all sailors aboard were safely rescued by night.

Fire Service Chattogram Divisional deputy assistant director Abdur Razzak said, ‘We received information from 999 that a ship named Banglar Saurav was on fire in the Bay of Bengal. I spoke to the navy, and they also confirmed the fire. But what can the fire service do in the sea! Still, we have instructed the Karnaphuli and EPZ Fire Service to respond.’

The Bangladesh Merchant Mariners Association expressed concerns about the age of the ships.

Both MT Banglar Saurav and MT Banglar Jyoti were built in Denmark in 1987 and have been operating for over 30 years, despite the international standard lifespan for such vessels being 20 to 25 years.

The two ships primarily transfer crude oil from larger tankers anchored offshore to various depots in Patenga.