The state-owned Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC) has decided to sell two oil tankers that were recently damaged by fire.
According to BSC sources, MV Banglar Saurav and MV Banglar Jyoti, two oil tankers used for carrying petroleum products of Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) were badly damaged by fire on 30 September and 5 October respectively.
BSC is responsible for carrying petroleum from a mother vessel anchored at the Outer Anchorage to the installations of Eastern Refinery Limited. That is why the BSC will carry BPC petroleum products till the beginning of the operation of Single Point Mooring.
According to the BSC, MV Banglar Saurav and Banglar Jyoti usually carried 11,055 metric tonnes of oil regularly from a mother tanker from Outer Anchorage that carried over one lakh metric tonnes.
Despite rapid growth in Bangladesh’s private shipping sector, the state-owned Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC) has seen a steady decline in its fleet capacity over the years mainly in the absence of proper maintenance.
Initially boasting 44 ships, the BSC’s numbers dwindled to just two by 2018. While six new vessels were added in 2019, the fleet has remained static for the past five years.
The lighter vessel Banglar Jyoti was 37-year-old. Another vessel Banglar Saurav, also aged 37, has raised safety questions regarding oil transportation following the Banglar Jyoti incident.
According to BPC, mother vessels carrying imported crude oil anchor in the Kutubdia Outer Anchorage area, where each vessel holds at least 100,000 tonnes of oil but cannot access Chattogram Port due to shallow depths.
Commodore Mahmudul Malek, Managing Director (MD) of Bangladesh Shipping Corporation, said, “We have obtained the ministry’s approval to auction the two ships as scrap. The auction notice will be published in the newspaper by December 5.”
Captain Anam Chowdhury, President of the Merchant Mariners Association, said, “BSC would receive compensation as per the contract for the damaged equipment of the ships. Once the insurance is processed, the ships will be sold for scrap, providing a double benefit for the corporation.”
