CHITTAGONG, July 20: The investigation committee formed by the office of the DG Shipping today seized related papers and documents regarding irregularities in issuance of registration for four coastal oil tankers allegedly.
The registration was done on the basis of fake certificates of the classification society and survey certificates issued to two passenger vessels, despite those being declared unfit for plying.
The three-member investigation team headed by additional secretary of the Ministry of Shipping Abdul Quddus Khan conducted the enquiry in the office of the Principal Officer, Mercantile Marine Department in Chittagong on Thursday.  
Regarding enquiry, the additional secretary told the FE this afternoon he was taking all relevant papers to Dhaka for scrutiny and would submit the findings as per rule. He further said he had no meeting with people from the shipping circle during his investigation.
He said he had met with Shafiqul Islam, PO, MMD of Chittagong and other officials and had copies of the related documents.
The committee was formed following allegations from Rivers, Roads and Railways Protection Committee at Purana Paltan Dhaka that the office of the Principal Officer, MMD, Chittagong recently registered four coastal tankers of a company on fake certificates of the classification society.
The registration allegedly on fake certificates of the classification society DNV-GL issued for coastal tankers are Khushnagar-2, Khushnagar-3, Khushnagar-4 and Khushnagar-5, sources said adding this is a serious breach of the Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1983.
Shipping circles in Chittagong said the office of the Principal Officer, MMD in a gross violation of the Merchant Shipping Ordinance registered four coastal oil
tankers with fake certificates of the classification society.

Sources said that 'unfit' coastal tankers are engaged in carrying most vulnerable commodities by violating the Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1983 and Inland Shipping Ordinance 1976. Around 140 coastal tankers and 85 inland tankers are carrying fuel oil throughout the country's river and coastal routes.
Sources quoting previous observations made by international maritime agency said report on poor inspection of ships plying through different waterways poses a serious threat to environment, loss of human life and raises the scope of being blacklisted by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) on grounds of breaching global shipping regulations.  
Sources said that the said office had earlier issued survey certificates for two passenger ships - LCT Kutubdia and LCT Kajol - plying on the Teknaf-St Martins route.  
The findings of an enquiry team on November 01, 2016 detected 19 lapses in the LCT Kajol, seven of which were identified as serious. Another survey on November 13 last year also detected same lapses.
Despite such lapses the PO, MMD office issued permission for plying of the 700- passenger ship for another three months. Such lapses were found in LCT Kutubdia, sources said.  
The Director General of Shipping (DG Shipping) in Dhaka Commodore Arif told the FE over cell phone that he has constituted a three member investigation committee with Md Abdul Quddus Khan, additional secretary (commercial) as its head.
A notice issued by the DG Shipping and signed by deputy secretary SM Shah Habibur Rahman Hakim dated July 03, 2017 said there are allegations against Md Shafiqul Islam, Principal Officer, Mercantile Marine Department, Chittagong of registering four coastal tankers with fake certificates of a classification society.
The complainants said as per Department of Shipping regulations all coastal ships require classification certificates at the building stage before registration by the Mercantile Marine Department under the Ministry of Shipping.
But in the case of four coastal tankers forgery of classification certificates has been noticed and the office of the PO, MMD has registered those four vessels without valid classification certificates.
Sources said that two coastal ships of the same company built earlier had valid classification certificates and were duly registered by the MMD, Chittagong. But it is alleged the said four vessels got registration from the MMD producing fake certificates of the classification society.
Sources further said an amount of Tk 1.8 million to Tk 2.0 million is required as supervision fee of a class surveyor to supervise a ship at the building procedure.
When contacted, chief engineer Md Shahed of DNV-GL, concerned class society, said he was not responsible for survey but other engineers in the company were responsible for survey of the coastal tankers.
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Source: The Financial Express