Tilting vessel now stable but denied departure

The Daily Star August 26, 2020

Tilting vessel now stable but denied departure

Dwaipayan Barua

A container ship that was listing to its starboard side while anchored at Chattogram port on Sunday returned to equilibrium the following day but is yet to be cleared for departure, making exporters anxious about their cargo.

The ship, OEL Hind, had listed due to an uneven distribution of cargo, said Muntasir Rubayat, head of operations for the vessel’s local agent GBX Logistics.

Subsequently, the OEL Hind was brought back to a stable position by removing a total of 33 containers located at the top row.

But the Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) is yet to allow the vessel to leave, leaving the Bangladeshi exporters in a state of anxiety over whether their shipments on board the OEL Hind will reach their destinations on time.

The ship was scheduled to vacate jetty number 11 at the port on Sunday afternoon but was restricted from departure when it was found to be titled to its right that very morning.

The 186-metre-long vessel had a total of 1,260 TEUs of export-laden and empty containers on board at the time.

The cargo that could not be sent in time would now probably miss the connecting mother vessel at Singapore, said Khairul Alam Sujan, director of the Bangladesh Freight Forwarders Association.

Contacted, CPA Secretary Md Omar Faruk said that although the vessel seems to be in stable condition, the authorities need to ensure that the vessel is fit for operation.

To that end, the department of shipping is investigating with the help of ship surveyors to find if there are any technical faults with the vessel.

“As soon as they give the nod, the OEL Hind can set sail,” he added.