BPC faces Tk16cr damage as oil tanker hits jetty
A probe committee says the anchoring system for mooring the ship was not working properly
The Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) sustained a Tk16 crore damage as Indonesian oil tanker MT Grand Ace-8 collided with an oil unloading jetty in Chattogram on Thursday, said officials.
After an inquiry, a BPC committee said the accident occurred as the ship's anchoring system was not working properly, which the committee termed "unusual".
The vessel belongs to PT Bumi Siak Pusako Zapin (BSP), Indonesia while M/S Pride Shipping Lines was the shipping agent. It entered the River Karnaphuli with 35,074 tonnes of diesel that was loaded from Malaysia and Thailand.
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After lightering around 7,700 tonnes of diesel to smaller vessels, the tanker went for berthing to Dolphin Jetty-5.
During the mooring, it hit the jetty and severely damaged the steel structure, pipeline and cone-shaped rubber fender. The jetty is owned by Meghna Petroleum Limited, a subsidiary of the BPC.
Syed Mehdi Hasan, director (operations & planning) at the BPC, said they were taking necessary steps to get the compensation.
"We have already informed the ship owner about the amount," he said.
Dolphin Jetty-5 was designed and built by Gammon India Limited and commissioned in 2004 with a 20-year predicted lifespan.
Since the commissioning, some 885 ships have anchored to the jetty.
