BM Desk:

The Bangladesh Coast Guard rescued 13 crew members alive from a half-submerged coal-laden lighter ship in the deep sea on Saturday.

The lighter vessel named MV “Humaira” left Chittagong for Dhaka with 750 tons of coal loaded in the morning. The ship is said to have sailed despite local warning signal No. 3. At one point, due to bad weather, the hatch cover of the lighter ship was damaged, water entered the ship, the engine broke down, and the lighter ship floated uncontrollably in rough seas.

According to the Coast Guard, the damaged lighter was anchored approximately 10.5 nautical miles southeast of Bhasanchar Lighthouse, and the crew of the lighter requested rescue assistance from the administration through mobile phones.

On receiving the information, a team led by Lt. Commander Abdullah Al Mamun, captain of the Coast Guard’s regular patrol vessel “BCGS Sabuj Bangla”, immediately conducted a rescue operation in the rough sea. They rescued the 13 crew members of the half-submerged lighter ship from the deep sea at night and provided first aid and food.

The process of handing them over to the ship owner is under way after they were brought back to Chittagong and rescued by “BCGS Sabuj Bangla”.