The government has formed a 10-member committee to investigate the consecutive fire incidents and loss of lives on two Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC) oil tanker vessels.
According to a letter issued by the Ministry of Shipping today (6 October), the ministry’s Additional Secretary Md Abul Islam has been appointed as the convener of the committee.
The committee has been asked to submit a report to the secretary of the ministry within the next seven working days.
It has been tasked with identifying the causes of the fires, assessing the damage caused by the accidents, determining responsibilities, and recommending measures to prevent similar accidents in the future.
Other members of the committee include ministry’s Joint Secretary Khaled Akhtar, representatives from Chittagong Port Authority, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Department of Shipping, BSC, Fire Service and Civil Defence, National Security Intelligence, and Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI).
The senior assistant secretary (I.O) has been made the member secretary of the committee, the letter added.
Yesterday, a fire on the MT Banglar Shourabh left a man killed, and three people died following an explosion aboard the MT Banglar Jyoti on 30 September.
Speaking regarding the accidents, Shipping Adviser Brigadier General (retd) M Shakhawat Hossain said, “The consecutive fires on two BSC tanker vessels have raised suspicions among the public.”
“To dispel these doubts, the probe committee will determine the causes of the incidents,” the adviser told journalists after a meeting with BSC officials in Chattogram this morning.
Shakhawat said, “I don’t want to speculate on what happened in the ship accidents. It might influence the investigation. We will know the details after the investigation is complete.”
He also thanked the Chattogram Port, Bangladesh Navy, Coast Guard, and all other relevant institutions for bringing the fires under control very quickly.
About transporting crude oil, the adviser said, “Since both tanker vessels will no longer be in operation, BSS will now transport crude oil using chartered ships from tomorrow [7 October].”
