Chattogram: Two container ships carrying imported goods from Singapore, which were damaged in a collision at the outer anchorage of Chattogram port, have been brought to the jetty under special security measures.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the ships — Maersk Chattogram and HR Turag — were anchored at the JCB jetty through the port channel on Sunday afternoon. Prior to their arrival, special security was enforced on the waterway from the port’s estuary to the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) starting at 11 am.
Each ship was escorted by three tugboats, with an additional tugboat on standby. To facilitate the safe docking of the damaged ships, the berthing of other vessels at the port was expedited, and general ship movement was temporarily suspended.
Officials from the Naval Department monitored the entire operation from the Vessel Traffic Management System (VTMS) at the port building.
A collision occurred at the outer anchorage on Friday (May 1) involving the Danish-based shipping company’s ship ‘Maersk Chattogram’ and the domestic ‘HR Turag’ as they arrived at the port from Singapore with approximately 2,800 containers of imported goods.
Following the collision, both ships were stranded at the anchorage. Despite attempts by port pilots to bring the ships to the jetty, the high level of damage prevented immediate relocation. Special arrangements were made to bring the two ships to the jetty after two days.
Chattogram Port Deputy Conservator Captain Zahirul Islam mentioned that a significant amount of imported goods were stuck on the ships, causing concern for importers due to the extended stay at the outer anchorage. To address economic concerns, the ships were brought to the jetty with special arrangements. For safety reasons, the ships were slowly brought to the jetty (6 to 10 nautical miles) with two pilots per ship. The Maersk Chattogram ship carried 1,878 containers, while the HR Turag had approximately 1,000 containers. Although import goods have been unloaded, the ships will not carry export containers for the time being.
An investigation committee, jointly formed by the Department of Shipping and the Chattogram Port Authority, will look into the incident.
The ships will be taken to the dockyard for repairs, and they will resume normal operations only after the investigation report, damage assessment and permission to sail are received.