Ship carrying goods worth billions of taka runs aground at estuary
Photo: Agamir Somoy
A foreign container ship lost control after its steering system failed at the entrance channel of Chattogram Port on the Karnaphuli River. The vessel drifted out toward the estuary and eventually ran aground on a shoal beside the Naval Academy. The incident occurred at about 2:15 pm on Monday.
The Malta flagged vessel CNC Uranus was carrying 1,282 import laden containers. The ship was arriving from the Port of Shenzhen in China.
It is not yet known whether the imported goods worth several billion taka on board have been damaged. However, all foreign crew members aboard the vessel are safe.
Commodore Ahmed Amin Abdullah, Member (Harbor and Marine) of Chattogram Port, confirmed the incident and said, “All crew members are safe and unharmed. The port entrance remains operational. However, the ship has developed a mechanical problem, so our Marine Department team is at the scene with tugboats. The tide has now started to recede in the Karnaphuli River. We are preparing to take action during the next high tide.”
If the ship had become stranded in the entrance channel, vessel movement would have been suspended. The lifeline of Chattogram Port, which handles 92 percent of the country’s import and export cargo transportation, would have become inoperative. Fortunately, Chattogram Port escaped that danger.
An official of the port’s Marine Department said the vessel was heading from the outer anchorage to berth at the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) of Chattogram Port. Shortly after entering the estuary, the ship’s steering system failed. From 2:15 pm, it drifted for about 40 minutes before running aground in the sea west of the Naval Academy beside the estuary. Because the tide was low at the time, the water depth was insufficient, causing the vessel to become stranded on a shoal. Otherwise, there had been a risk of a major accident.
Four tugboats of the port and four pilots from the Marine Department are working at the scene to ensure the vessel is safely anchored.
Enamul Haque Titu, an official of the vessel’s local shipping agent APL, did not respond to phone calls for comment.
