CHATTOGRAM, Oct 13: One LPG carrier vessel caught fire at deep sea of Bay of Bengal near Kutubdia at dead of night on Sunday.
The fire on the vessel - named the LPG Sophia and MT Captain Nicholas - started at around 12:45am on Sunday as it was in western outer anchorage on the Kutubdia coast.
The vessels caught fire during lightering from the Nicholas.
Firefighters and rescue workers brought the fire on board an LPG carrier at Cox's Bazar's Kutubdia under control after more than 11 hours of effort.
All 31 members of the ship's crew have been rescued alive.
The fire was eventually brought under control around noon with support from Coast Guard and Navy personnel, according to Lt Commander Khandakar Munif Taki, a spokesman for the Coast Guard.
The Coast Guard official said the LPG carrier had anchored on its way to the Chattogram Port when the massive blaze began.
Two Coast Guard vessels and five Navy vessels began firefighting and rescue operations when locals and the Kutubdia Upazila administration reported the incident.
There were a total of 31 crew members on board the vessel and everyone has been rescued alive, Lt Col Taki said.
They are at the Hotel Agrabad in Chattogram after being administered first aid.
The Coast Guard is making inquiries to find out whether the incident was just an accident or an act of sabotage, Taki said.
He was unable to say where the vessel had come from and how much LPG was on board at the time the fire started.
The blaze marks the third instance of a fuel vessel catching fire within Bangladesh's maritime borders in the past two weeks.
A blast on board the Bangladesh Shipping Corporation-owned 'Banglar Jyoti' oil tanker at the Chattogram Port's Dolphin Jetty on Sept 30 led to the deaths of three people. Then, on October 5, another fire broke out on the 'Banglar Sourav' oil tanker at the outer anchorage of the Chattogram Port. The vessel was also owned by the Bangladesh Shipping Corporation.
Meanwhile, the Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) has constituted an eight-member probe committee to investigate the fire in two ships carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) at Kutubdia point of the Bay of Bengal that occurred early Sunday, CPA sources said.
The CPA formed the committee following the directive of Shipping and Textiles Adviser Brigadier General (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain.
Commodore M Fazlar Rahman, a member of the Chittagong Port Authority (Harbor and Marine), will lead the investigation committee.
Other members are Captain Md Faridul Alam, Deputy Conservator at CPA, Navy Commander Rafiqul Islam, Coast Guard Lt Commander Md Rakibul Islam Tanveer, Lt Md Noor Ashraful Aziz from DGFI, a designated representative from NSI, a designated representative from the Fire Service and Civil Defence and Captain Sayed Ahmed, Controller of the Maritime Education (CC) Directorate of Shipping in Chittagong.
The committee has been tasked to submit its report within the next five working days.
Its objectives include determining the cause of the fire, assessing the international standards for LPG transportation, assessing the suitability of the transported LPG, determining damages and liability arising from the incident, and formulating recommendations to prevent similar accidents in the future.
The committee may also review any related matters and submit its findings.
Earlier, the "B-LPG Sofia" lighter vessel caught fire after an explosion when it was at the outer anchorage of the Chattogram Port.
Later, members of the Coast Guard and Bangladesh Navy rescued 31 people from the vessel.
The Shipping Adviser has expressed deep concern over the recent incidents of fires on ships and has instructed authorities to enhance security measures for vessels.
