A container ship bound for Chattogram from Malaysia overturned near the coast of Thailand on Saturday afternoon, with all 16 Bangladeshi crew members being successfully rescued.
The Panama-flagged vessel, Sealloyd Arc, encountered difficulties off the southern coast of Phuket on February 7, leading to a coordinated emergency response at sea. The rescue operation safely brought all 16 crew members to Chalong Bay, as reported by The Phuket News.
The ship, carrying approximately 290 containers, was traveling from Malaysia to Bangladesh as per the latest information available.
Md Mukul Hossain, the manager of Alvi Lines Bangladesh, the local agent for the ship, confirmed the incident. He explained that the vessel, departing from Port Klang in Malaysia, experienced an accident at sea.
Following the mishap, the ship listed and sank in deep waters off the Phuket coast, leading the captain to declare it abandoned. The vessel commenced its journey from Port Klang on February 5 and was scheduled to reach Chattogram by February 12.
Reports from The Phuket News indicated that the Thai Maritime Enforcement Command Centre Region 3 (Thai MECC3) observed the vessel taking in substantial amounts of water while navigating south of Laem Phromthep, approximately three nautical miles from shore. The water ingress caused the ship to tilt severely, posing a risk of sinking.
Thai MECC3 disclosed that a nearby unidentified fishing boat initially rescued eight crew members from the distressed vessel. Later, a vessel belonging to the Phuket Provincial Administration Organisation saved the remaining eight crewmen. All individuals were safely transferred to Chalong Bay Pier, with authorities confirming that no injuries were reported among the crew.
