Bangladeshi killed in attack on ship 'Banglar Samriddhi' at Ukraine port

An engineer on board the Bangladeshi vessel ‘MV Banglar Samriddhi’, which is stranded at a port in Ukraine, has been killed amid Russia’s invasion of the Eastern European country.

The dead man has been identified as Hadisur Rahman, the third engineer of the ship belonging to the Bangladesh Shipping Corporation, or BSC, reports bdnews24.com. 

The vessel, which bears the Bangladeshi flag and belongs to the state-owned Bangladesh Shipping Corporation, had docked at the Ukrainian port of Olvia before Russia invaded.

The vessel had 29 Bangladeshi sailors onboard.

When the war began, the bulk carrier got stuck at the port.

“A shell struck the ship,” said Commodore Sumon Mahmud Sabbir, BSC managing director, around midnight on Wednesday.

“The shell detonated on the bridge, where third engineer Hadisur Rahman was on duty, and killed him.”

“The other 28 on the ship are unharmed and the fire has been put out.”

On Feb 27, BSC General Manager Captain Mujibur Rahman had told bdnews24.com that the vessel could start its journey back within two days once the channel cleared.

The vessel was scheduled to pick up a shipment of goods from the port, but given the circumstances, the shipment was cancelled, he said.

The ship had been safely docked until that day and the official said all sailors were healthy and safe and had sufficient food and water to meet their needs.

The emptied vessel set off from Turkey’s Eregli port on Feb 21 and reached the Ukrainian port on Feb 22.

BSC officials say the port is not currently operational due to the war.

The sea-faring ‘MV Banglar Samriddhi’ was assigned to the BSC fleet in 2018.