A clinker-laden cargo ship named “Premium-5” partly submerged in the Meghna River near Ulania in the Mehendiganj upazila of Barisal on Sunday afternoon.
The ship is currently stuck on an underwater shoal at the site, semi-submerged.
Responding swiftly, Coast Guard members arrived on the scene and successfully rescued all 12 crew members from the stricken vessel.
KM Shafiul Kinjal, media officer of the Coast Guard South zone, confirmed the matter saying: “The cargo ship 'Premium-5' had been transporting raw materials for manufacturing cement from Dhaka to Mongla in Khulna.”
At around 12:20pm, as the cargo ship neared the Ulania Zamindar Bari Canal on the Meghna River, it struck the underwater shoals, causing the hull of the vessel to crack, allowing water to pour inside, he said.
A patrol team from the Kaliganj station of the Coast Guard South Zone was conducting a routine patrol on the river near the incident site. They immediately arrived on the scene and rescued the ship's 12 crew members.
Mehendiganj Marine Police Kaliganj outpost Sub-Inspector Asadul Al Ghalib also confirmed the story, saying that the ship's hull had cracked due to the collision, leading to the gradual submerging of the vessel.
Currently, the front part of the cargo ship is visible with tidal water entering, while the rear part remains submerged. The incident has been reported to the shipping company, which has dispatched a team to the site, the marine police official added.