Two foreign commercial vessels collided at Alpha anchorage in the outer anchorage of Chittagong Port on Friday afternoon, with no casualties reported as of 5pm.
The collision between MT Sea Spike and MV Sunshine occurred around 12:30pm. Water entered the engine room of the wheat-carrying Sunshine after its hull was damaged, while Sea Spike also sustained damage in the collision.
Chittagong Port Secretary Syed Refayet Hamim confirmed the matter and said port tugboats, along with teams from the Bangladesh Navy and Coast Guard, were deployed for rescue operations immediately after receiving the report.
He said the Liberia-flagged bulk carrier Sunshine was anchored at the outer anchorage carrying 52,000 tons of wheat for a private importer.
The Marshall Islands-flagged tanker Sea Spike collided with Sunshine while attempting to anchor. The impact damaged part of Sunshine’s hull, allowing water to enter its engine room.
Sea Spike was carrying 33,000 tons of gas oil (diesel) for the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC).
The port secretary said all of Sea Spike’s cargo tanks remained intact, with no water entering the tanks and no oil leakage reported.
He said water entered Sea Spike’s engine room through an approximately 1-square-metre crack in the port quarter, causing a temporary power failure.
The vessel’s VHF communication system remained operational with the help of emergency batteries, he said.
“To keep the vessel stable, 10 shackles of cable from each of its two anchors have been released. According to tidal calculations, the vessel will remain safely afloat even during low tide,” Hamim said.
“The exact cause of the collision will be known after an investigation,” he added.