After frantic efforts of almost 17 hours Chittagong Fire Service and Civil Defense officials finally put out the fire at 9:10am on Thursdaythat broke out at shed no 3 (containing abandoned goods mostly) of the jetty no 2 ofChattogramport on Wednesday evening.
Ali Akbar, deputy assistant director of Chittagong Fire Service and Civil Defense, said inside the shed there were drums filled with liquids, cloth rolls and various old goods, most of which were burnt.
Meanwhile, Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) has formed a five-member probe body, headed by Zafar Alam, a member of the port board committee, to find out the cause of the fire and the extent of damage.
Port sources said the probe committee will submit its report within 7 working days along with recommendations to avoid such accidents in future. More safety measures will be taken in accordance with those recommendations.
However, the port authorities have already beefed up security and safety measures in the port area and mulling more steps to be taken in order to avoid repetition of such mishap.
Rear Admiral AbulKalam Azad, Chairman of CPA, said, “After this fire incident, some new issues are coming up that need to be worked on. At first, we are strengthening security and safety measures so that this kind of accident does not happen again.”
“Decisions will also be taken to ensure that piles of goods meant for destruction are not stockpiled in the port areas. But customs and other agencies are involved with these processes, which is what makes the situation more complex to implement any decision”, he added.
He went on to say, “Initially we have arranged more CCTV cameras in the port areas, but it is not enough to prevent such accident. Due to various policy and legal complications, the accumulation of goods disrupts normal functioning of the port. This will have to be addressed urgently.”
It is mentionable that Chattogram port follows the International Ship and Port Facility Security ISPS Code that ensures its international standard security. ISPS Code is an amendment to the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention on minimum security arrangements for ships, ports and government agencies. Having come into force in 2004, it prescribes responsibilities to governments, shipping companies, shipboard personnel, and port/facility personnel to ‘detect security threats and take preventive measures against security incidents affecting ships or port facilities used in international trade’.
