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A fishing trawler carrying 17 fishermen has been drifting in the Bay of Bengal for three days after its engine broke down during a deep-sea fishing expedition off the coast of Patharghata, prompting a joint rescue operation by the Bangladesh Coast Guard and local trawler owners.
The incident was confirmed on Saturday by Golam Mostafa Chowdhury, president of the Barguna Fishermen Trawler Owners’ Association.
He said trawler owner Md Bellal Hossain informed the association about the situation after being contacted by the stranded fishermen.
According to the association, the fishing trawler FB Jahan left the Bangladesh Fisheries Development Corporation (BFDC) Ghat five days ago with 17 fishermen on board for a routine fishing trip in deep waters.
The vessel is now drifting about 100 kilometres southwest of Patharghata, near Dublar Char in the southern Bay of Bengal. All the fishermen are residents of different areas of Patharghata upazila.
Quoting the trawler owner, Golam Mostafa Chowdhury said the vessel’s engine developed a mechanical fault about two days after it entered the sea, leaving it powerless and at the mercy of ocean currents.
The fishermen were unable to seek help immediately because they were outside mobile phone coverage. After drifting closer to an area with network access, they managed to contact the owner, report their location and request urgent assistance.
Following the information, the Bangladesh Coast Guard West Zone launched a rescue operation to locate and recover the stranded fishermen.
At the same time, the Barguna Fishermen Trawler Owners’ Association has deployed its own resources to assist in the search and rescue effort.
Officials said efforts were continuing to locate the drifting trawler and bring all 17 fishermen safely back to shore. No casualties or injuries had been reported as of Saturday.
