A tragic incident occurred on September 30 when an explosion on the crude oil tanker BANGLAR JYOTI at the Eastern Refinery in Chittagong Port resulted in a fire that claimed the lives of three crew members. The explosion happened around 11:00 AM local time at the forecastle, the forward section of the vessel, during the unloading of crude oil.
BANGLAR JYOTI, a Bangladesh-flagged vessel owned by the Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC), was discharging crude oil imported for Eastern Refinery Limited at the time of the explosion.
Source: Daily Star
The Secretary of the Chittagong Port Authority reported the incident and noted that emergency services, including the Coast Guard, fire boats from the Bangladesh Navy, and other firefighting units, were dispatched to the scene. The fire was brought under control by 12:30 PM, and nearby vessels were moved to safety while oil installations were placed on high alert.
The three deceased have been identified as a deck cadet, a charge man, and an employee from the BSC Marine workshop. According to BSC Managing Director Commodore Mahmudul Malek, the explosion occurred while the deck cadet and two staff members were performing routine maintenance on the ship. He emphasized that the maintenance work was not associated with any fire hazards that could have led to an explosion.
An investigation team has been formed to look into the incident further.
