Adviser for Shipping, Jute and Textile ministries Brigadier General (retd) Sakhawat Hossain expressed concerns regarding two recent fire incidents involving Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC) vessels in Chattogram and urged to refrain from speculation until the investigation concludes.
“I do not want to speculate on whether anything suspicious happened or what happened exactly. Please wait for the investigation,” he said during a briefing at the BSC office on Sunday.
The adviser noted that following the fire aboard the Banglar Sourav ship, BSC’s managing director immediately chartered another ship for lightering operations. “Let me mention that before the incident, the MD had already said this would be Banglar Sourav's last trip or service. Unfortunately, the incident occurred. I was worried that an oil blast could have shut down the channel,” he added.
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He credited swift response teams, including the Navy, Coast Guard, and Port Authority, for controlling the fire and preventing further damage. “The Naval Chief called at 5 am and confirmed full cooperation. By 4:30 pm, I was informed that everyone had been rescued,” he said, adding that the rescue operation was handled professionally, with one individual taken to the hospital.
He emphasized the importance of safety measures moving forward and said crude oil from Banglar Sourav would soon be transferred. He also recommended increasing the capacity of the terminal.
In response to a question about BSC’s fleet, Hossain said five BSC vessels are generating substantial profits abroad, including in Jamaica. “None of them are in Bangladesh. We plan to expand BSC’s fleet as soon as possible, Inshallah,” he said.
He also touched on efforts to reduce corruption within the ministry. “As long as we are here, we can at least reduce corruption,” he said.
Regarding the acquisition of four new ships from China, Hossain revealed that a team is working to negotiate lower prices. “We are trying to reduce costs. If money has already been taken, how will we recover it? The dollar was at BDT 90. An investigation will be conducted,” he said.
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He expressed frustration over delays in several ministry projects, saying that halting them now would waste significant public funds. He vowed to send relevant documents to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) for further investigation.
“A former prime minister once joked that her peon had TK 400 crore. Have you ever, even in dreams, seen Tk 400 crore? I certainly haven’t,” he said.