Tragic Fire Aboard Bangladesh Oil Tanker Claims One Life

Another tragic maritime accident has occurred in Bangladesh, involving a significant fire aboard a crude oil tanker owned by Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC).

On October 4, around 12:45 AM local time, a fire erupted aboard the Banglar Shourabh, resulting in the death of one crewmember. The fire broke out while the state-owned vessel was anchored at the outer area of Chittagong Port.

In response to the blaze, the captain and remaining crew members evacuated the ship. Firefighting efforts were quickly initiated with the help of three specialized navy tugboats and four additional tugboats from the Coast Guard and Port Authority. After four hours of battling the flames, the fire was successfully extinguished.

According to the Inter Service Public Relations (ISPR) of Bangladesh, 47 crewmembers were safely rescued, while several injured crew members were transported to the hospital for medical attention. Sadly, one crewmember lost their life in the incident.

The Banglar Shourabh was carrying 11,000 metric tons of crude oil at the time of the fire, ISPR reported.

This incident follows another recent fire on September 30 aboard another BSC-owned tanker, the Banglar Jyoti, which resulted in an explosion and claimed the lives of three crew members. Both tankers were built in 1987 and are part of the state-owned BSC fleet.