Eight hours at rough sea

Their struggle for survival started since 9:00pm on Monday when their vessel started to sink due to gusty winds and strong tides in the Bay of Bengal, some 12 nautical miles south of Sandwip of Chittagong.

They rushed to the roof of the three-story vessel as it was sinking gradually and waited till 10:30pm hoping to be rescued.

Finding no other options, they jumped into the sea wearing life jackets.

They floated for around seven to eight hours and finally were able to reach Sandwip by morning.

This is the story of the 11 crewmen of Lighter Vessel MV Barshan-3 who survived after braving the turbulent sea.

The crewmen shared their ordeals while talking to this correspondent over the phone yesterday.

The vessel carrying about 856 metric tonnes of fly ash was heading to Majhirghat of Chittagong from Khulna, said Md Maniruzzaman, the vessel's master.

About 12 to 15 nautical miles south of Sandwip, it faced gusty wind and strong tides, he said, adding, “Due to the heavy waves, cracks at one side of the vessel developed and the ship began to sink around 8:30pm.”

“We jumped into the sea while the ship was about to sink completely,” said Maniruzzaman, who hailed from Faridpur.

He said except for one, all of them were able to survive. “If there was an ebb tide instead, we might not have.” One crew member, Ruhul Amin, 40, of Feni, went missing.

“The sea was angry that day. At times I felt I will not survive,” said Md Yakub Khan, one of the survivors. He paused, and then added, “I feel like I have been given a new life.”  Nur Islam, a local of Sandwip, went to the shore around 6:00am yesterday to see his fish enclosure where he found two crew members and took them home. By 7:00am, the 11 crewmen reached Sandwip, he told this correspondent.

“We were given primary treatment by the locals,” said a grateful Maniruzzaman.

Contacted, Nobi Alam, general secretary of the Lighter Vessel Sramik Union, said a search is on for the missing crew. “The crew is staying at a house in Adarshapara of Sandwip, where they are being looked after,” he added.

The vessel was carrying fly ash of NGS Cement, said Mahbub Rashid, executive director of Water Transport Cell, a private organisation that coordinates the schedules for lighter vessels.