Chittagong Vessel Fires Raise Questions About Sanctions and Safety
After three fires involving four ships in two weeks, port stakeholders in Chittagong are having serious conversations about local firefighting capacity - and whether it makes sense to import sanctioned energy cargoes aboard questionable vessels.
Last weekend, a major fire broke out aboard two LPG carriers during an allegedly illegal ship-to-ship transfer off Kutubdia, Chittagong. The Captain Nikolas was offloading its cargo to a Bangladeshi lighterage vessel, the B-LPG Sophia, when a fire broke out aboard both vessels. All 31 crewmembers survived, but the Sophia was significantly damaged.
The LPG Operators Association of Bangladesh (LOAB) claims that the origin of the cargo aboard Captain Nikolas was misdeclared, and that it actually came from Iran, a sanctioned supplier. LOAB believes that customs officials were involved in this unlawful import arrangement, and that at least one additional vessel delivered a sanctioned Iranian LPG cargo.
TankerTrackers.com has confirmed that Captain Nikolas likely loaded a cargo of sanctioned Iranian LNG in the Persian Gulf - and that two sister ships are engaged in the same trade.
On Tuesday, Bangladesh's shipping ministry issued a circular urging importers to abide by the law on sanctioned vessels and cargoes. The circular reminded companies that Bangladesh requires maritime stakeholders to comply with U.S., UN and EU sanctions, and that violations expose Bangladesh to national security risks and reputational problems. The agency forbids any activities involving sanctioned cargo loading, unloading or transshipment in Bangladeshi waters. "Any failure to comply will not be tolerated," the ministry warned.
Additional firefighting resources needed
The Captain Nikolas / B-LPG Sophia incident was the third major vessel fires near Chittagong within two weeks. A blaze broke out aboard the tanker Banglar Shourabh on October 4, killing one crewmember, and a fire aboard the tanker Banglar Jyoti killed three on September 30.
The fires have prompted calls for more firefighting capabilities at Chittagong, Bangladesh's biggest and most important seaport. At present, Chittagong has no dedicated firefighting vessels with the equipment to combat petroleum fires - not the port authority, nor the coast guard, nor Bangladesh's navy, master mariner Capt. Atik U Khan told Business Post Bangladesh.
"This vulnerability could affect not only the port’s reputation but also have direct consequences for our energy sector and the port's revenue collection," he said.