'Ensure proper design of vessels to avert accidents'
Design of passenger vessel should be checked properly before its approval while following the proper design thoroughly to make it safe and durable to avert accidents.
Prof M Rafiqul Islam, head of Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) said this while talking to the news agency.
The country witnessed launch accidents frequently due to number of reasons, including faulty design of vessels, overloading, adverse weather and collision, he said.
Approximately 500 river accidents have taken place since 1981, out of which 44 percent vessels face accident due to overloading and adverse weather, 39 percent due to collision and remaining 17 percent due to excessive current and others, he added.
Prof Rafiq said a vessel should not sink immediately after the collision because in general the vessels are provided with bulkheads in such a way that even if a compartment is flooded due to collision or grounding, the vessel will remain afloat.
"But in our country, we find that ships drown within minutes of collision due to some serious technical faults in the construction of the vessels,” he added.
"We will be able to reduce vessel accidents if we check design of vessels properly before its approval and follow the design rightly,” he said.
Since 2009, Department of Shipping is approving design of vessels, Chief Engineer of Department of Shipping (DoS) Fakhrul Islam said.
“We have been able to approve design of vessels properly, which is contributing to build secure and faultless vessels,” he added.
Prof Rafiq said, “We have prepared some proposals for river transport safety that include the design should be checked by the Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, Buet, before approval of design of passenger vessels,”
Other proposals are establishment of ship model testing centre in Buet, a comprehensive study on inland waterways transportation system and modification of shipbuilding code and stability criteria for inland vessels in respect of Bangladesh's environment perspective.
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