Videos: Bangladeshi Cargo Vessel Capsizes At Kolkata Port

A small container vessel registered with Bangladesh tilted and capsized at India’s Kolkata port, sending crew members running about to ensure safety and tackle the boxes falling overboard. The incident took place on Thursday. Port officials informed that it had completed loading, and on Friday, it would depart for Chittagong in Bangladesh.

The vessel, Marintrust 01, is a 272 feet-long ship manufactured about four years ago. It reportedly operates on a route between Bangladesh and India. The 3,400 dwt vessel reached Kolkata on Tuesday from Sagar port of India. The vessel came to rest at an unusual angle away from the dock and as a result, the containers kept shifting and falling.

Marintrust 01 capsize kolkata port — Image Credits: Vikash On The Way – Youtube

Reports highlighted that 18 twenty-foot containers (TEU) had slid off the vessel & sunk in the harbour while 10 forty-foot containers remained floating. A tug came to assist while ropes were attached for securing the floating containers. A shipping company spokesman said he was not aware of the contents of these boxes.

The manager of Dhaka-based Mango Logistics Limited, Habibur Rahman, the vessel charterer, reported to local media that the berth operator had to handle the vessel as he was also loading laden containers. Thereby, the vessel lost its balance and sank partially. He added that they were trying their best to recover the vessel.

Prima facie, it seems that there was a wrong judgment while placing containers on the vessel’s deck. This resulted in an imbalance with the cargo on the port or the left side becoming bulkier than the right.

Officials mentioned that port operations continued as usual following the accident, while they also strived to secure containers from the harbor. No oil spill was reported.