Oil spill in Barisal river causes worry

Oil tanker collides with cargo vessel in Kirtonkhola

An oil tanker carrying diesel collided head-on with a fly ash-laden cargo vessel on the Kirtonkhola river, in front of the Barisal river port yesterday (Friday) morning. As a result, there was a massive oil spill in the river.

At the time of collision, the vessels were crossing the river point.

Barisal river port police source said the oil tanker, MT Fazal, carrying 1.32 lakh litres of diesel from Chittagong Port,

was on its way to the Barisal Jamuna oil depot ghat. The collision occurred at the Beltola point of the Kirtonkhola river around 7am.

The cargo vessel, MV Ma-Babar Doa-2, carrying 1,064 tonnes of fly ash, one of the raw materials for making cement, left the Mongla crossing for Narayanganj.

The pilot of the oil tanker sent a warning signal to the cargo vessel, but it failed to pick up the signal and the accident occurred. Both vessels were badly damaged.

After the collision, diesel spilt out from the tanker into the Kirtonkhola. Jamshedur Rahmen, chief pilot of the oil tanker, said they were able to save most of the diesel stored in the back chamber of the vessel.

However, a large amount escaped from the damaged front chamber, where nearly 66,000 litres had been stored.

Jamshed blamed the cargo authorities for the accident. The amount of diesel lost will be known when the vessel reaches the Jamuna depot.

Md Ershad, driver of the cargo vesssel, said they were plying without a pilot. The pilot did not turn up this morning, he added.

The river police visited the spot. Both the vessel authorities filed general diaries at the local police station.

The oil spill has created panic among environmentalists of the city. They wanted to know how much

diesel had been spilt and demanded steps to clear the oil.

Earlier in 2014, a major oil spill from a similar collision in the Shela River in the Sunderbans made national and international headlines for his devastating impact on the environment and the ecology of the biggest mangrove forest in the world.

Oil tanker Southern Star-7 sank in the river with over 3.58 lakh litres of furnace oil On December 9 after being hit from behind by an empty cargo ship.

The spill had blackened the Shela and its branches inside the Sundarbans, threatened trees, plankton, and vast populations of small fishes.

It also threatened endangered dolphins and other wildlife in the Sundarbans mangrove region. The Shela River is known for being the home to rare Irrawaddy and Ganges dolphins.

The spill had forced the government to ban the plying of vessels on the route in Shela.

However, an alternative route was opened later.

And months after the decision was taken, a cargo vessel carrying 1,235 tonnes of coal capsized in the river in Chandpai range of the Sundarbans on March 19 in 2016.

Oil spill in Barisal river causes worry

Oil tanker collides with cargo vessel in Kirtonkhola

An oil tanker carrying diesel collided head-on with a fly ash-laden cargo vessel on the Kirtonkhola river, in front of the Barisal river port yesterday (Friday) morning. As a result, there was a massive oil spill in the river. At the time of collision, the vessels were crossing the river point. Barisal river port police source said the oil tanker, MT Fazal, carrying 1.32 lakh litres of diesel from Chittagong Port, was on its way to the Barisal Jamuna oil depot ghat. The collision occurred at the Beltola point of the Kirtonkhola river around 7am. The cargo vessel, MV Ma-Babar Doa-2, carrying 1,064 tonnes of fly ash, one of the raw materials for making cement, left the Mongla crossing for Narayanganj. The pilot of the oil tanker sent a warning signal to the cargo vessel, but it failed to pick up the signal and the accident occurred. Both vessels were badly damaged. After the collision, diesel spilt out from the tanker into the Kirtonkhola. Jamshedur Rahmen, chief pilot of the oil tanker, said they were able to save most of the diesel stored in the back chamber of the vessel. However, a large amount escaped from the damaged front chamber, where nearly 66,000 litres had been stored. Jamshed blamed the cargo authorities for the accident. The amount of diesel lost will be known when the vessel reaches the Jamuna depot. Md Ershad, driver of the cargo vesssel, said they were plying without a pilot. The pilot did not turn up this morning, he added. The river police visited the spot. Both the vessel authorities filed general diaries at the local police station. The oil spill has created panic among environmentalists of the city. They wanted to know how much diesel had been spilt and demanded steps to clear the oil. Earlier in 2014, a major oil spill from a similar collision in the Shela River in the Sunderbans made national and international headlines for his devastating impact on the environment and the ecology of the biggest mangrove forest in the world. Oil tanker Southern Star-7 sank in the river with over 3.58 lakh litres of furnace oil On December 9 after being hit from behind by an empty cargo ship. The spill had blackened the Shela and its branches inside the Sundarbans, threatened trees, plankton, and vast populations of small fishes. It also threatened endangered dolphins and other wildlife in the Sundarbans mangrove region. The Shela River is known for being the home to rare Irrawaddy and Ganges dolphins. The spill had forced the government to ban the plying of vessels on the route in Shela. However, an alternative route was opened later. And months after the decision was taken, a cargo vessel carrying 1,235 tonnes of coal capsized in the river in Chandpai range of the Sundarbans on March 19 in 2016.