Fire badly damages St Martin’s Island cruise ship at Cox’s Bazar Jetty

A fire broke out on a St Martin's Island-bound passenger vessel at a BIWTA jetty in Cox's Bazar this morning, completely damaging the ship.

However, no casualties were reported.

Hossain Islam Bahadur, general secretary of the Sea Cruise Operator Owners' Association of Bangladesh (SCOAB), said the fire erupted on The Atlantic Cruise at around 7:00am while the vessel was anchored at the BIWTA jetty in Nuniachhara area of the district town.

"At first, smoke was seen billowing from inside the vessel. Within a short time, flames became visible," he said, adding that there were no tourists on board at the time of the incident.

Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Tanjila Sharmin said the fire occurred while officials of the local administration were present at the jetty to monitor tourist boarding in line with government directives.

On receiving information, a firefighting unit rushed to the spot and brought the blaze under control, preventing it from spreading to nearby vessels.

Additional District Magistrate (ADM) of Cox's Bazar Md Shahidul Alam said an investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the fire.