Ship loses 3 containers overboard in Sandwip Channel storm

A cargo ship lost three containers after they toppled overboard during a storm in Sandwip Channel on the Bay of Bengal on Thursday.

The vessel, Pangaon Express, was carrying goods to Pangaon Container Terminal from Chattogram Port.

Confirming the incident, Chittagong Port Authority Secretary Md Omar Farooq told The Business Standard that the sailors on the ship were not harmed and were rescued by a boat and taken to safety.

The cargo ship, owned by Chattogram Port, had 96 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) of goods on board.

The ship was operated by a company named Sea Glory Shipping on rent. It was used for transporting cargo containers on the route.

A team is trying to remove the water and containers from the vessel to make it lighter, said officials of Chattogram Port Authority's Marine Department. Once done, it will be taken to the docks for repair.

A chartered tug along with the port's powerful tugboat Kandari-11 has been dispatched to the accident site.

Bangladesh Navy has also engaged its resources in rescuing the partially-sank ship, according to Inter-Services Public Relations.

Meanwhile, the port authority has formed a three-member committee to investigate the cause of the accident and the cost of damage.

Pangaon Express is among three ships Chattogram Port Authority purchased at a cost of Tk50 crore for container transportation on Chattogram-Pangaon route.

Sea Glory Shipping, the largest ship operator on the route, rented the three ships from the port authority under the bareboat charter agreement for five years. 

According to the contract, Sea Glory maintains the ships and operates them with its own manpower.

The port gets a monthly rent of 7.5 lakh for each ship. 

Jahir Uddin Jewel, managing director of Sea Glory said the accident happened due to rough seas in hostile weather.

"We managed to keep the ship afloat until Thursday afternoon. We hope to avoid the ship from sinking," he added.