One dead after oil tanker catches fire at Ctg port

A crew member died after he jumped off an oil tanker owned by Bangladesh Shipping Corporation. The oil tanker caught on fire at Chittagong Port early today.
The fire broke out on “Banglar Shourabh” at the outer anchorage of Chittagong Port, five days after a deadly explosion and fire on “Banglar Jyoti”.
The deceased was identified as Sadek Mia, 59, a general steward of the oil tanker. He is from Noakhali.
Confirming the death, Bangladesh Coast Guard East Zone Media Officer Lt Shakib Mehbub told The Daily Star that a coast guard team rescued a total of 46 people while two others swam to shore.
Of the 46, coast guards rescued 22 from the water and 24 from the tanker, reports our Chattogram staff correspondent.
One among the 22, who jumped into water after the fire broke out in the tanker, was found in critical condition near Patenga sea beach, the coast guard official said.
He was rushed to Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH), where duty doctors declared him dead.
On September 30, three people were killed in an explosion on a fuel-laden lighterage (transfer) vessel at the Chattogram port.
The two back-to-back incidents might be a case of sabotage carried out to disrupt the country’s energy security, said BSC Managing Director Commodore Mahmud Malek.
Both the two oil tankers were engaged in lightering imported crude oil from bigger oil tanker anchored at outer anchorage, he said.