Container vessel runs aground near estuary at Ctg port

A container vessel ran aground after suffering a steering failure while entering the navigation channel at Chattogram Port on Monday afternoon.

According to port sources, the vessel, MV CNC URANUS, arrived from China’s Shikou Port, carrying 1,282 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) containers.

APL (Bangladesh) is the local agent of the vessel. There are 24 crew members onboard.  

Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) Secretary Syed Refayet Hamim said the vessel developed a fault in its steering gear while entering the channel through the estuary around 2:15pm.

As a result, it lost control, struck red buoy-2 and subsequently ran aground near a retaining wall, he said.  

“Rescue and salvage operations are currently underway. CPA tugboats Kandari-2, Kandari-4 and Kandari-11, along with Bangladesh Navy tugboats Halda and Pramatta, are working to refloat the vessel under the supervision of the CPA official concerned,” said the secretary. 

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The Karnaphuli channel remained safe for vessel movement, he added. 

However, port users said the incident highlighted the vulnerability of the country’s busiest seaport, noting that the lone navigation channel had narrowly escaped a major disaster.

They warned that any blockade or disruption in the channel could severely affect Bangladesh’s international trade, industrial production, supply chains and overall business activities, as Chattogram Port handles 92% of the country’s import and export cargo.

They stressed the need for timely precautionary measures, effective planning and a rapid response mechanism to address such potential challenges.