A fishing trawler carrying 17 fishermen has been drifting in the Bay of Bengal for three days after its engine broke down while fishing in deep waters off Patharghata. The Bangladesh Coast Guard and the Barguna Fishermen Trawler Owners' Association are jointly conducting a rescue operation.
The matter was confirmed at Saturday (July 4) by Golam Mostafa Chowdhury, president of the Barguna Fishermen Trawler Owners' Association. He said, Md Bellal Hossain, informed him of the situation earlier in the day.
The fishing trawler, FB Jahan, left the BFDC Ghat five days ago with 17 fishermen on board for a deep-sea fishing trip. It is currently drifting about 100 kilometres southwest of Patharghata, in the southern Bay of Bengal near Dublar Char. All 17 fishermen are residents of different areas of Patharghata upazila.
Quoting the trawler owner, Golam Mostafa Chowdhury said the vessel's engine developed a fault about two days after it entered the sea. Since then, it has been drifting in the Bay. Once the fishermen came within mobile network coverage, they contacted the owner, informed him of their location and requested immediate rescue.
Coast Guard West Zone was informed of the incident and has already launched a rescue operation.
The Barguna Fishermen Trawler Owners' Association is also conducting a parallel rescue effort using its own resources.
SKS
