CPA fines CNC Uranus Tk 1.15 cr for safety breach
Graphics: Agamir Somoy
Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) fined the foreign vessel CNC Uranus and its shipping agent American President Line (APL) a total of Tk 1.15 crore for endangering the safety of the port.
CPA Harbour Master Captain Zahirul Islam confirmed the matter. Authority imposed the penalty after finding evidence that the vessel operated without notifying the port in a timely manner, placing the port channel, the ship itself, pilots, port installations, and other maritime vessels at extreme risk.
The fine serves as a penalty for tarnishing the reputation of the country’s primary seaport, and officials dispatched the order to the shipping agent on Monday.
The incident came to light following an investigative report by Agamir Somoy which detailed how the foreign vessel attempted to enter the Chattogram Port jetty by concealing a failure in its steering gear’s hydraulic horn.
Port pilots discovered the defect and refused to berth the ship, returning to the port building instead. Following the publication of the news, the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) and the Department of Shipping formed two separate investigation committees.
CPA’s investigative report confirmed that the concealment of information had created a hazardous situation, leading directly to the fine.
APL Bangladesh Head of Operations Enamul Haque Titu said, “There is no way to avoid the fine imposed by the port. We are preparing to pay the fine. At the same time, there are 1,300 export container bookings on this ship. We have also requested permission for shipment”.
Mohammad Munir Chowdhury, an executive magistrate and special officer (Marine Safety) at the Department of Shipping, added, “It should not stop here. In the future, we must be much more careful about these matters. Because if the lifeline of imports and exports becomes paralyzed, this fine will be of no use.”
CNC Uranus is at jetty number 11 of the General Cargo Berth (GCB), where it has finished unloading imports and is awaiting export cargo before its scheduled departure on Wednesday.
Mercantile Marine Office Nautical Surveyor Captain Sheikh Jalal Uddin Gazi, said, “After reading the report in Agamir Somoy, I went to the spot on Friday, a government holiday, saw the defects, and detained the ship. This detention is a punishment or a mark of disgrace for the ship. In the preliminary investigation, it appeared to be human error or navigation failure. The investigation committee will submit the final report.”
When asked why the vessel was cleared before the final report, he added, “A ship does not stay detained for the investigation report. After fixing the technical defects of the ship, an international organization provided us with a report. After that, we issued a No Objection Certificate to the ship on Sunday.”
The vessel, arriving from Shekou Port, China, reached the outer anchorage on 2 August. On 3 August, while entering the Karnaphuli channel near the red buoy, the steering failed during a period of intense water currents. The ship drifted sideways and eventually became stuck near the retaining wall of the Naval Academy.
Experts warned that if the ship had sunk or blocked the main entrance, Chittagong Port would have been paralyzed, causing a severe impact on the national economy.
On 3 August, tugboats towed the ship to Bravo Anchorage. Although three senior pilots attempted to berth the ship on 5 August, they returned to the port building after officially learning about the broken hydraulic horn.
The vessel finally berthed on 8 August after engineers from Singapore repaired the steering gear.
