Master of the vessel Banglar Shourav Captain S M Saifullah, chief officer Ariful Islam Khan and second officer Shafiqul Islam were responsible for the river pollution caused by the oil leakage, said the probe report submitted to the ministry recently.

The seven-member body led by Director General of the Department of Shipping Captain Ahsanul Azim also said in its report the extent of oil slick was not more than five tonnes.

But a vested quarter in its own interest spread the news that several hundred tonnes of oil leaked causing river pollution and consequent dying of hilsha fish.

The report recommended that the authorities concerned should hold a press conference to give correct information to the media in cases of such incidents. Otherwise, people will get misleading information that will create panic among them, it said.

The committee also said it did not find any proof of excess oil in the tanker.

The probe report suggested allocation of special funds for proper maintenance of two oil tankers of the BCS, which are more than 18-year-old. The Eastern Refinery Limited also should take adequate anti-pollution measures to check possible damages in incidents of oil leakage, it added.

The report mentioned that Banglar Shourav carried 6,336 tonnes of crude oil from a mother vessel anchored at Kutubdia. It reached Chittagong port on August 26 and after unloading oil at Eastern Refinery, it anchored at the dry dock next day. A tugboat found oil spill on the Karnaphuli waters and reported it to Chittagong Port Authority.

The local and national dailies carried reports on the river pollution and death of hilsha fish.

The probe report however attributed dying of hilsha to a trawler capsize in the river on the same day.