Sailor missing as two vessels sink near Bhashan Char in the Bay

DOT Desk: A sailor has gone missing after two goods-laden vessels sank near Bhashan Char in the Bay of Bengal on Thursday, reports BDnews24.
The lighter vessels were both headed to Narayanganj from Chittagong Port, said Mohammad Selim, deputy director of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA).
The missing sailor was working on the ‘Khaja Baba Faridpuri’, which was laden with 1,700 metric tonnes of wheat, he told bdnews24.com. The other vessel that sank was called ‘N Islam’.
“The Khaja Baba started to sink in the waters one nautical mile east off Bhashan Char. One member of its 13-strong crew remains unaccounted for,” said Selim.
Vessels are instructed to cross Bhashan Char during high tide, spending at least three hours for safe navigation.
“But there was low tide when Khaja Baba Faridpuri was crossing the area, which caused it to sink.”
‘N Islam’ sank when its hull cracked from crashing into another vessel near Bhashan Char, said the BIWTA official.