2 vessels seized in Kutubdia over illegal fuel transfer

The Bangladesh Coast Guard has seized a Panama-flagged commercial vessel and a Bangladeshi ship for the exchange of fuel and evading customs duties at the outer anchorage of Kutubdia, Cox’s Bazar.

Lieutenant Commander Md Siam-Ul-Haq, media officer of the Coast Guard Headquarters, confirmed the matter yesterday.

He said on Saturday (February 1), the Coast Guard patrol vessel, Apoorba Bangla, detected suspicious fuel transfer from the Bangladeshi oil tanker OT Union to MT Dolphin-19 during a routine patrol.

Coast Guard personnel then questioned the crew members of both vessels, but they failed to provide valid documents for the transaction.

He said although MT Dolphin-19 was scheduled to sail to Mongla Port, it anchored at Kutubdia Outer Anchorage at 7:00am on Saturday. Without permission from the Chittagong Port Authority and Customs, the vessel illegally collected approximately 356 metric tonnes of fuel from the Bangladeshi oil tanker between 7:00am and 2:00pm, resulting in a significant revenue loss for the government.

The Coast Guard later seized the foreign vessel and brought it to Chittagong Outer Anchorage. Meanwhile, the Bangladeshi oil tanker involved in the operation, along with its nine crew members, remains under Coast Guard custody.

Legal proceedings, including financial penalties against both vessels, are currently underway at the Marine Court the Chittagong Port Authority, according to the Coast Guard official.

source : thedailystar