Coal-laden vessel sinks in a river of Sundarbans

A cargo vessel carrying 1,235 tonnes of coal sank yesterday in the Shela River in the Sundarbans, a Unesco-listed World Heritage Site in Bagerhat.

Bottom of the vessel, Sea Horse, cracked when it reached the river at Harintana in the Sundarbans' Chandpai range under Mongla upazila in the afternoon.

Vessel's Master Md Sirajul Islam Molla told this correspondent that with 12 crew onboard, it sailed from the Chittagong seaport to Nawapara of Jessore on March 16.

As the vessel was slowly sinking, a boat from behind came to the crew's rescue and took them onboard.

The coal was meant for burning bricks, he added. 

Saidul Islam, divisional forest officer of the Sundarbans east, said the spot was 25 nautical miles away from Chandpai range office and it was not possible for them to travel the distance at night.  

They would contact the owner and take initiatives to salvage the sunken vessel today, said the forest officer.        

Earlier, an oil spill caused an immeasurable damage to the world's largest mangrove forest after an oil tanker named Southern Star sank on December 9, 2014 in the same river.

In May last year, a cargo vessel carrying 200 tonnes of fertiliser sank in the Bhola River in Sarankhola Range of the Sundarbans.

Environmentalists, political parties and social-cultural groups have been demanding a ban on any traffic movement on this river route since then.

A United Nations team following the oil spill suggested closing commercial traffic in the Shela River.

A government committee that probed the oil spill too recommended a permanent halt to the operation of cargo vessels through the river.