A Correspondent  Chattogram:

A crew member died after he jumped off Bangladesh Shipping Corporation’s (BCS) oil tanker, which caught fire near the Naval Academy in Chattogram’s Patenga area late Friday night.

The fire broke out on ‘Banglar Shourabh’ at the outer anchorage of Chittagong Port, five days after a deadly explosion and fire on another BCS tanker ‘Banglar Jyoti’ that claimed three lives.

The deceased was identified as Sadek Mia, 59, a general steward of the oil tanker.

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

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.

Commodore Mahmudul Malek, Managing Director of BSC, said, “There were 48 crew members and watchmen on board at the time of the incident. All were rescued alive, but steward Sadek Mia passed away while being taken to the hospital.”

An eight-member investigation committee, headed by BSC’s Technical Director, has been formed in connection with the incident, he added.

Fire Service Chattogram Divisional Deputy Assistant Director Abdur Razzak said, “We received information from 999 that a ship named Banglar Shourabh 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 Shourabh 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.