Eleven out of the 23 crew members of a Bangladeshi cargo vessel, MV Abdullah, that was hijacked by a group of Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean, are residents of Chattogram. Earlier on Tuesday, the ship, carrying coal from Mozambique’s Maputo port to Al Hamriyah Port in the UAE, was attacked around noon. MV Abdullah is owned by SR Shipping Lines – a sister company of Chattogram-based Kabir Steel and Rerolling Mill (KSRM) Group. All crew members are being held hostage by the pirates, said KSRM’s media adviser Mizanul Islam. Bangladesh cargo vessel hijacked by Somali pirates in Indian Ocean The crew members are: Captain Mohammad Abdur Rashid, Chief Officer Mohammad Atikullah Khan, Second Officer Mazharul Islam Chowdhury, Third Officer Tarequl Islam, Deck Cadet Sabbir Hossain, Chief Engineer ASM Saiduzzaman, Second Officer Toufiqul Islam, Third Engineer Rokon Uddin, Fourth Engineer Tanvir Ahmed, Engine Cadet Ayub Khan, electrician Ibrahim Khalil, seaman Md Anwarul Haque, seaman Md Asifur Rahman, seaman Sazzad Hossain, seaman Joy Mahmud, seaman Nazmul Haque, seaman Ainul Haque, oiler Mohamamd Shamsuddin, Ali Hossain, fireman Mosharraf Hossain Shakil, chief cook Shafiqul Islam, general steward Nur Uddin, and fitter Saleh Ahmed. KSRM owns 23 ships – all operating on international routes. In 2010, one of the ships, ‘MV Zahan Moni’, was hijacked and was later released by Somali pirates after providing ransom. Read more: 11 crew swim ashore as water enters coal-laden cargo vessel in Pashur River

A large container vessel having a draught of 10 metres and length of 200 metres will anchor at the Chittagong Port for the first time on trial basis on Sunday, according to Chattogram port officials. Enhancement of the port’s berthing capabilities will increase its container handling capacity, reduce transport costs and turnaround times- the time required for loading and unloading of goods at the port, they said. The port authorities have completed all kinds of preparations including increasing the depth of the Karnaphuli River estuary and skills development training of the operators. According to the port authorities, vessels having only 9.5 metres draught and 195 metres length have been anchored at the port jetty since 2015. However, after receiving a positive response from the survey of UK-based consultancy firm 'HR Wallingford', the port took the initiative to handle larger vessels. The 10-metre draught ships will be able to carry 3,500 TEUs containers to the port and bring down the overall cargo handling costs. Chief Hydrographer of Chittagong port authority Commander Arifur Rahman, said in view of the report provided by the research institute, the large vessels' berthing trial run will begin on Sunday. "If it becomes successful in this trial operation, the port will soon notify local and global shipping companies to operate bigger vessels on this route. Later, we will allow berthing when big ships arrive, added the commander" Also Read: Freight operation from Ctg suspended as lighter vessel workers on strike With the development, Chattogram port will notify shipping companies for allowing ships with bigger draught on this route, said Khairul Alam Suzan, vice-president of the Bangladesh Freight Forwarders Association. Bigger ships will reduce the cost of import-export significantly and huge money will be saved annually, he said. Having the capacity to handle larger vessels  is essential for expanding trade, he said adding people involved sector and export-import trade have long been demanding an increase in the berthing capacity of the Chattogram port but the port authorities did not do it without a proper survey, he added.    

The MV-Sagar Nandini-2 vessel carrying 11 lakh metric tonnes of furnace oil, which sank in the Meghna River on Sunday, could not be salvaged till Tuesday. Already three vessels have reached in the Meghna River to salvage the vessel. Besides, local administration has formed a nine -member probe body, headed by Additional District Magistrate Ripon Kumar Saha, to look into the incident. The committee has been asked to submit its report within seven working days. Read more: Oil spill in Meghna river threatening environment, vessel still not recovered after 36 hours Md Shahjahan, director of river protection and management division of Bangladesh Inland and Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) visited the spot in the morning and said they are trying to recover the furnace oil from the river. To salvage a sunken vessel from the river is a time consuming matter as there are some explosive substances inside the vessel, he said. The main aim is to recover oil from the river, he added. If there is any negligence on the part of master found during investigation then action will be taken against him, said Shahjahan. Three vessels of SHR Navigation Company Limited—Sagar Badhu-3, Sagar Badhu-4 and Sagar Nandini-3---are trying to salvage the sunken vessel as per the decision of the owners as the BIWTA expressed incapability of salvaging the vessel, he said. He also expected to finish their salvage operation by Wednesday. Read more: Vessel with 11 lakh litre fuel sinks in Meghna river Vessel with 11 lakh litre fuel sinks in Meghna river Staff officer of Coast Guard South Zone, Lieutenant M Hasan Mehedi, said the coast guard members have been providing security to the sunken vessel round the clock since Sunday and already a barge named ‘Humaira’ from Chandpur is on the way to salvage the vessel. The oil chambers inside the vessel have been sealed by the divers and there is no scope to spill out oil, he said. Meanwhile, a large area in the Meghna river has been polluted by furnace oil spill since the vessel with 11 lakh litres of oil sank in the river — posing threat to biodiversity and environment. Jamal Hossain, senior fisheries officer of Bhola Fisheries Department, said fish in the river will be in danger due to the oil spill. A lighter vessel with 11 lakh litres of fuel sank after being hit by another vessel in Meghna river due to dense fog in sadar upazila of Bhola district early Sunday. KM Shafiul Kinjal, media officer of Coast Guard South Zone, said the vessel named ‘Sagar Nandini-2’ from Chattogram port sank in Meghna as another vessel hit it at Tulatuli Majher Char while heading towards Chandpur Padma Depot around 4am on Sunday. The accident took place due to poor visibility caused by the dense fog. All the fuel spilled into the river. Local people later collected the fuel in containers. Fortunately, all 13 crew members of the vessel have been rescued by another vessel passing through the area.

A lighter vessel with 11 lakh litre of fuel sank after being hit by another vessel in Meghna river due to dense fog in sadar upazila of Bhola district early Sunday. KM Shafiul Kinjal, media officer of Coast Guard South Zone, said the vessel named ‘Sagar Nandini-2’ carrying 11 lakh litre of fuel from Chattogram port sank in the Meghna as another vessel hit it at Tulatuli Majher Char while heading towards Chandpur Padma Depot around 4 am. The accident took place due to poor visibility caused by the dense fog. All the fuel spilled into the river. Local people later collected the fuel in containers. Fortunately, all 13 crew members of the vessel have been rescued by another vessel passing through the area. On information, a team of coast guard rushed to the spot and took necessary measures to protect the river from pollution.  

Fifteen crew members of a ship have been stranded in Kolkata for five weeks as their vessel capsized at a Kolkata port while loading goods. On March 24, the Bangladesh-flagged ‘MV Marine Trust-1’ sank at Netaji Subhash Chandra Dock in Kolkata. Fifteen Bangladeshi crew members, including Mizanur Rahman of Kushtia Sadar upazila, narrowly escaped the accident. Since then, they have been confined to Marine Club Hotel (C-Man Hostel) adjacent to the port in Kolkata. Also read:Probe body formed on ship sinking in Kolkata port On Wednesday night, a three-minute video message was uploaded on social media by the stranded crew pleading for help. In the video message, the crew expressed their misery and sought immediate intervention of the President, Prime Minister and other authorities concerned to bring them back to Bangladesh. Fahim Faisal, chief engineer of the ship, said in the video that the ship left Chittagong port on March 20 and they reached Kolkata on March 23. He said neither the Bangladesh government nor the Indian authorities were taking any initiative to repatriate them. The hostel has also threatened to stop food supplies at any time, said Faisal. “We are in danger. Anything can happen at any time. We are helpless.” The owner of the ship has assured to bring the crews back to the country but has been out of touch for several days.

As many as eight crew members went missing after a lighter vessel carrying cement and clinker sank in the outer anchorage area of Chattogram port on Saturday morning. According to Chattogram port sources, the lighter vessel -- Titu-14 -- sank in the Bay of Bengal following a collision with a dredger in the outer anchorage area of the port. READ: Coal-laden vessel sinks in Pashur river "The Coast Guard managed to rescue five of the 13 crew members of the vessel that overturned and sank following the accident. Remaining eight crew members are still missing," the sources said. Omar Faruq, secretary of the Chattogram Port Authority, said "rescue operations are on for the eight missing crew members". READ: Russia-Ukraine war: 28 crew of stranded Bangladeshi vessel call for help Coast Guard Contingent, Sangu Contingent, Kutubdia Contingent and Sadar Contingent are conducting a joint rescue operation, he added.

A vessel carrying over 600 metric tonnes of coal to Dhaka has capsized in the Passur river near the Sundarbans in the district's Mongla upazila. The accident occurred off the Mongla port on Thursday, officials said on Saturday. The Dhaka-bound ‘MV-Naumi’ sank in the river as a crack had developed in the vessel, said deputy harbour master of Mongla port, Captain Shahadat Hossain. READ: Sand-laden vessel sinks in Meghna, one missing Fortunately, all the 10 crew members of the vessel were rescued by local fishermen and the Coast Guard. "Already, a notice has been issued to the owner of the vessel to take steps within 15 days to remove the vessel from the river," said Captain Shahadat. READ: Paturia ferry accident: Salvage vessel ‘Rustom’ joins rescue operation on day 4

Three persons drowned while four others went missing after a passenger vessel sank in the Turag river off the coast of Savar following a collision with a bulkhead on Saturday. The identities of the missing could not be known immediately. Kazi Mazharul Islam, officer-in-charge of Savar Police Station, said the Gabtoli-bound vessel with 15 people on board capsized in the river after hitting the bulkhead off the coast of Savar's Aminbazar on the outskirts of Dhaka this morning. READ: Trawlers with 24 fishermen capsize in the Bay, one dies While eight people managed to swim to safety, seven others went missing.  On information, divers from the local fire service station rushed to the spot and launched a rescue operation. READ: 11 fishers rescued as trawler capsizes in Bay of Bengal The bodies of two children and a woman were subsequently fished out of the river, said Raihanul, station officer (media) of Fire Service and Civil Defense headquarters.

Tugboats and a specialized suction dredger worked Friday to dislodge a giant container ship that has been stuck sideways in Egypt’s Suez Canal for the past three days, blocking a crucial waterway for global shipping. The Ever Given, a Panama-flagged ship that carries cargo between Asia and Europe, ran aground in the narrow canal that runs between Africa and the Sinai Peninsula. It got stuck in a single-lane stretch of the canal, about six kilometers (3.7 miles) north of the southern entrance, near the city of Suez. The ship, owned by the Japanese firm Shoei Kisen KK, has blocked traffic in the canal, causing headaches for global trade. Around 10% of world trade flows through the canal, which is particularly crucial for the transport of oil. The closure also could affect oil and gas shipments to Europe from the Mideast. Also read: What we know about a ship blocking the Suez Canal At least 150 ships were waiting for the Ever Given to be cleared, including vessels near Port Said on the Mediterranean Sea, Port Suez on the Red Sea and those already stuck in the canal system on Egypt’s Great Bitter Lake, said Leth Agencies, which provides services for the canal. Internationally, many are getting ready for the effect that the shipping pause will have on supply chains that rely on precise deliveries of goods. Singapore’s Minister of Transport Ong Ye Kung said the country’s port should expect disruptions. “Should that happen, some draw down on inventories will become necessary,” he said in a Facebook post. The backlog of vessels could stress European ports and the international supply of containers, already strained by the coronavirus pandemic, according to IHS Markit, a business research group. It said 49 container ships were scheduled to pass through the canal in the seven days following Tuesday, when the Ever Given became lodged. As of Friday morning, the vessel remained grounded, Leth Agencies added. It remains unclear when the route would reopen. An Egyptian official at the Suez Canal Authority described the work as complex and said those trying to dislodge the vessel wanted to avoid complications that could extend the canal closure. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to talk to journalists. The Ever Given’s bow was touching the eastern wall, while its stern appeared lodged against the western wall. A team from Boskalis, a Dutch firm specialized in salvaging, started working with the canal authority Thursday. The rescue efforts have focused on dredging to remove sand and mud from around the port side of the vessel’s bow. The Suez Canal Authority, which operates the waterway, deployed tugboats and a specialized suction dredger that is able to shift 2,000 cubic meters of material every hour. Also read: Experts say Med Sea altered by Suez Canal's invasive species The Suez Canal Authority said late Thursday that it would need to remove between 15,000 to 20,000 cubic meters (530,000 to 706,000 cubic feet) of sand to reach a depth of 12 to 16 meters (39 to 52 feet). That depth is likely to allow the ship to float freely again, it said. It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the Ever Given to become wedged on Tuesday. GAC, a global shipping and logistics company, said the ship had experienced a blackout without elaborating. Evergreen Marine Corp., a major Taiwan-based shipping company that operates the ship, said in a statement that the Ever Given had been overcome by strong winds as it entered the canal from the Red Sea, but that none of its containers had sunk. The Suez Canal Authority also blamed bad weather for the incident. Using data from Automatic Identification System trackers on ships at sea, data firm Refinitiv shared an analysis with the AP showing that over 300 ships remained en route to the waterway over the next two weeks. Some ships now may be changing course to avoid using the Suez Canal. The liquid natural gas carrier Pan Americas changed course in the mid-Atlantic, now aiming south to go around the southern tip of Africa, according to satellite data Friday from MarineTraffic.com. The Ever Given was involved in an accident in northern Germany in early 2019, when the freighter ran into a small ferry that was moored on the Elbe river in the port city of Hamburg. No passengers were aboard the ferry at the time and there were no injuries, but the collision caused serious damage to the boat. Also read: Egypt marks Suez Canal's 150th anniversary with artifact exhibition Hamburg prosecutors opened an investigation of the freighter’s captain and pilot on suspicion of endangering shipping traffic, but shelved it in March 2020 for lack of evidence, spokeswoman Liddy Oechtering told The Associated Press on Friday. It was not immediately clear whether the two suspects at the time were part of the crew involved in the Suez incident. Oechtering also could not say what the investigation had determined the cause of the 2019 crash was, but officials at the time suggested that strong winds may have blown the slow moving freighter into the ferry.

Chattogram, Sept 12 (UNB) – Twelve crew members went missing after a lighterage vessel, carrying 1,050 metric tonnes of coal, sank in the Bay of Bengal near the Sangu gas field on Thursday morning.