A day after a coal-laden cargo vessel sank in the Sundarban’s Shela River, authorities are yet to start any salvage operation.
A team of divers from Bangladesh Navy, however, identified the location of the sunken vessel.
No progress has so far been made in salvaging the vessel which is lying under 30-40 feet of depth, said divisional forest officer of Sundarbans east zone, Saidul Islam.
On Saturday, Jessore-bound MV Sea Horse 1 from Chittagong – with 1,235 tonnes of coal – sank in the Shela River at Harintana. All 14 crew members of the vessel, owned by Shamata Trading Agency, managed to swim ashore after the incident.
The Department of Forest yesterday formed a four-member committee, headed by Assistant Conservator of Forest Kamal Ahmed, to find out the possible reasons behind the vessel capsize.
The committee has been asked to submit a report on environmental damage assessment in next three days, Saidul said.
He added that the Forest Department has imposed a ban on plying vessels through Sharankhola-Bhola and Mongla-Pashur river points after 11am yesterday, and asked all vessel owners to leave the area before sunset.
“We have visited the area where the cargo-laden coaster vessel capsized. A red flag has been erected at the site to prevent further
accidents.”
Saidul added that the Forest Department is planning to file a case on this regard as well.
Md Shah Alam Miah, officer-in-charge of Sharankhola police, said no forest official had come to the station as of 8pm yesterday. However, the master of the sunken vessel, Md Sirajul Islam Mollah, has filed a general diary
with the station.
On December 9, 2014, a tanker carrying around 358,000 litres of furnace oil sank in the river, causing a prolonged negative impact on the coastal ecology of
the Sundarbans.
The Forest Department also called for a ban on vessel movement on the river after coal-laden vessel MV Zia Raj capsized on the confluence of Shela and Pashur rivers on October 27 last year.
