The fire on the LPG tanker "Sophia" was still burning as of 2:00pm today, more than 13 hours after it broke out at Kutubdia anchorage in Chattogram.

The tanker's mother vessel also caught fire early today, but the flames were brought under control by 3:00am. Bangladesh Coast Guard was informed of the fire at 12:55am. 

Captain Jahirul Hoque, zonal commander of Bangladesh Coast Guard East Zone, told The Daily Star at 2:00pm that the fire at the rear part of the vessel was repeatedly reigniting, possibly due to gas coming from the cargo hold.

The coast guard's firefighting tugboat Promotto and several tugboats of Bangladesh Navy and port authority were engaged in fighting the blaze, he said.

Md Omar Faruk, secretary of Chittagong Port Authority (CPA), said in the morning that the fire on the tanker's mother vessel "Captain Nikolas" was brought under control before 3:00am.

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Soon after the fire, Zonal Commander of Bangladesh Coast Guard East Zone Captain Jahirul Hoque confirmed that a fire broke out at the tanker B-LPG Sophia, rented by Bashundhara Group, and mother vessel, Captain Nikolas.

Sophia was engaged in ship-to-ship transfer of LPG from Captain Nikolas at the Kutubdia anchorage after midnight.

All 18 crewmen, two mooring men, three watchmen from the tanker, and eight port security guards from the mother vessel who jumped into the sea after the fire broke out, were rescued by a tugboat, Tufan Express, he said.

The crew comprises of nine Bangladeshis, eight Indonesians, and one Indian.

The CPA has formed a 9-member probe body to investigate into the fire incident and asked to submit report by 5 working days.

CPA Secretary Md Omar Faruk said the committee consists of representatives from the navy, coast guard, fire service, DGFI, NSI, Department of Shipping, and others.

The CPA's three tugboats "Kandari-3", "Kandari-4" and "Kandari-10", which is equipped to throw water, Bangladesh Coast Guard's fire firing tug boat "Promotto" and some firefighting units of Bangladesh Navy are jointly fighting the blaze, CPA Secretary Omor Faruk said.

An officer of CPA's Marine Department, seeking anonymity, said today the firefighters have brought the fire under control several times but it re-ignited.

It cannot be doused completely until the gas prevailing there is burnt out, he said

B-LPG Sophia is a medium sized LPG tanker engaged in lightering LPG from mother tankers in the sea.

Captain Nikolas is one of the two vessels that anchored in Chattogram port last week to unload about 70,000 tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas by misreporting the country of origin of the product, according to the LPG Operators Association of Bangladesh (LOAB).