A cargo vessel carrying 1,250 tonnes of coal sank after being hit by another ship near Hiron Point in the Bay of Bengal, adjacent to the Sundarbans, on Monday night. All 11 crewmembers aboard the sunken vessel were rescued.
The vessel, MV Fulbari, was heading to Dhaka after loading coal from a foreign commercial ship when the accident occurred around 9:00 pm near Sundari Kotha in the Sundarbans. Following the collision, the crew swam to a nearby stretch of land in the mangrove forest, where they waited for help before being rescued by another vessel.
The cargo ship OT Jannatul Ferdous reportedly rammed MV Fulbari from behind, causing the coal-laden vessel, owned by IRS International, to sink within moments.
The 11 rescued crewmembers included master Md Sujon, driver Prashanta Chandra Shil, helmsman Md Shakil, greaser Prosenjit Roy, and sailors Mehedi Hasan Bappi, Md Hossain Molla, Mohammad Oliullah, Md Sohan Sheikh, Mohammad Litu Sheikh, Nayan Sheikh and guard Anil Chandra Sana.
Master Sujon said they swam to a stretch of land in the Sundarbans after their vessel sank. They were rescued around 11:30 pm with assistance from MV Rania-13.
Captain Md Tuhin Islam of the rescue vessel said he learned about the accident through a radio message around 11:00 pm and immediately went to the scene to rescue the crew. The rescued sailors were brought to the Mongla branch office of the Bangladesh Noujan Sramik Federation yesterday morning.
Commodore Md Shafiqul Islam Sarkar, a member (harbour and marine) of the Mongla Port Authority, said the Pashur channel remained safe and vessel movement was normal. He added that the vessel's owners were taking steps to recover the sunken ship.
