Chtg Port suspends cargo handling over capsize of boat

Chittagong: Operation of the country's premier seaport of Chittagong virtually remained suspended Thursday as a lighterage vessel sank at the mouth of the port channel Wednesday night.
The Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) halted the movement of all kinds of incoming vessels from outer anchorage of Chittagong port Thursday. It allowed only limited number of vessels to sail out of the port.

CPA Member (operation and harbour) Captain M Quamrul Hossain told the FE that the vessel might have tilted to one side and sank.
MV Shah Badar-1 carrying 1,400 tonnes of wheat went down near jetty No. 15, while trying to enter the port from the Red Buoy in the outer bar area of the port at around 9:00pm Wednesday.
However, all the 13 crew of MV Shah Badar-1 were rescued by another passing vessel -- MV Titu.

However, the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) decided to caution ships to refrain from night navigation due to the sinking of the lighterage vessel.

Sources at the CPA said that it would be forced to suspend night navigation at least five to seven days more as the ill-fated vessel sank at a main point. Night navigation will only take place only after the salvage of the sunken vessel, port sources added.

CPA sources said that local salvage tugs had failed to re-float the vessel during 20 hours of operation Wednesday and Thursday.
Three tugs - MV Khadem of Bangladesh Navy, Khandhari-7 and Khandhari-10 of the CPA -- were engaged in salvaging the ill-fated vessel on Wednesday and Thursday.

Hossain said the CPA asked the owner of the vessel to salvage its ship as the port authority called off its operation Thursday.
However, the CPA expressed the hope that limited movement of incoming and outgoing vessels might take place from today (Friday).

This means that in-coming and out-going ship movement would take place only in day time.

However, three feeder vessels and one tanker passed the channel in Thursday afternoon when the CPA's salvage team could make some room by slightly removing the MV Badar from its place.
CPA pilot Nur Ahmed told the FE three feeder vessels and one tanker sailed out of the port cautiously. 'I have never seen such an accident as the ship sank at the main point of port channel.'
According to the CPA, on an average 14 different vessels including feeder vessels usually move to and from Chittagong port a day.

Port sources said that the CPA would hire local private salvage teams to rescue it if the owner failed to remove the literage vessel by today (Friday).

'We'll hire international team if the local salvage teams fail to salvage it in time', Member (operation and harbour) added.
Meanwhile, port users said that suspension of night navigation would increase turnaround time at the port considerably, which is now experiencing five days on an average.

In the meantime, two separate committees have been formed to probe into this accident.

Mercantile marine department formed a three-member probe committee headed by Captain Jasim Uddin while the CPA formed another three-member committee headed by harbour Master Jafar Ullah to investigate the cause of the disaster.

Radio Control room sources said the small vessel 'Shah Bandar-1' capsized at about 9 pm on Wednesday after hitting an underwater 'stone dam' while unloading grain from a big foreign ship anchored in deep sea.

The ship went under 20-25 feet of water while its crew managed to swim ashore, said one source.

The Port Authority sources said four tugboats, a naval ship and a
ship of the port with rescuers went to the spot soon after the mishap and continued their salvage operation until Thursday evening.

But the salvage operation had to be called off later on the day due to strong waves in the sea. The salvage operation would resume tomorrow (Friday), the sources said.

Meanwhile, the movement of all big ships remained suspended following the mishap. Three foreign-bound ships got stranded at the seaport wh