A lighter vessel with 1,800 tonnes of government-imported wheat capsized after an oil tanker hit it near Chittagong Port channel in the river Karnaphuli yesterday.
Thirteen crew of the sunken vessel, however, got down safely, said Capt Najmul Alam, deputy conservator of Chittagong Port Authority (CPA).Wishing anonymity, a food department official in Chittagong said all the grain bought from Ukraine at US$313 per tonne was damaged.
Capt Najmul said the private vessel Blue Pacific sank around 9:30am after some of its lower parts were badly damaged after being hit by the tanker, Golden Blessings.
The tanker carrying 10,000 tonnes of refined palm oil, however, escaped damage, and the accident did not hamper vessel movement in the channel, according to officials.
-With The Daily Star input
