Bangladesh-flagged container vessel sank in Netaji Subhas Dock in Kolkata while loading boxes for Chittagong.
The vessel, namely Marine Trust-01, which regularly carries boxes in the Bangladesh India protocol route, sank at the jetty side on Thursday (24 March) morning.
Videos and photos show that the 244 TEU vessel slowly tilted towards the jetty side and lost dozens of containers to the water.
Habibur Rahman, manager of Dhaka-based Mango Logistics Limited, charterer of the vessel, said the berth operator failed to properly handle the vessel while loading laden containers thus lost balance and sank partially. “We are trying to recover the vessel,” he pointed out.
Rahman added the vessel sails in the Bangladesh-India route since 2016 and carries boxes up to Pangaon Inland Container Terminal in Dhaka. He could not confirm what kind of cargoes the boxes had been carrying.
Syama Prasad Mookherjee Port (SMP) spokesperson, Sanjay Kumar Mukherjee said the vessel had completed its loading and was scheduled to sail on March 25. “We are investigating the reasons for the capsizing of the vessel,” he told Container News.
According to information, 18 20ft containers have gone underwater while 10 40ft boxes were found floating on the water surface, thus the port authority tied them with ropes, to minimise losses.
Sharar Nayel
Asia Correspondent
