Karnaphuli Ship Builders Limited (KSBL), a local ship building firm, has been awarded the venture to repair the ship and the firm made berthing of the damaged oil tanker at CDDL jetty on January 8.

The repair works of the ship by a local firm will substantially bring down the cost, sources at state-run Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC) said. Besides, its re-sailing will save a huge amount of financial loss BSC counting due to shortage of lightering oil tanker, the sources added.

MT Banglar Shourabh caught a fire that led to a massive explosion blowing off tank No. 4, including deck and side plates weighing around 500 tons, at the Charley (C) point of the outer anchorage of Chittagong port on June 24 last year.

The accident also left three people dead, forcing the authorities concerned even to think of selling the oil tanker away as "scrap" although procurement of such an oil tanker costs around Tk 150 crore.

The damaged oil tanker was towed from the sea near Gohira coast under Anwara upazila, some 13km off Chittagong port, on January 4, they said.

"We have already started making smaller plates each weighing around 30 tons at our own dockyard (Karnaphuli Dockyard Pvt Ltd) for replacing the blown off plates of the oil tanker," said KSBL Managing Director Engineer MA Rashid.

"We will get docking the oil tanker at CDDL jetty after the plates are ready to complete the repair work within two to three weeks," he told The Daily Star on Monday.

KSBL submitted a tender on July 31 last year quoting a price of Tk 23.25 crore for repair of the damaged parts of the tanker in the first phase and Tk 1.27 crore for installation of the engine and other instruments.

Two other bidders - Western Mariners and Colombo Dry Dock, also participated in the bid for the first phase for Tk 23.25 crore.

The firm signed an agreement in this regard on "No cure no pay" basis after making a payment of Tk 5.50 crore as "Performance Guarantee (PG) money on August 9 last year, said the sources.

Rashid said the work will be completed within the stipulated time of nine months. He said when completed the oil tanker will be able to provide service for 20 years more.

Singapore-based consultancy firm GB Marine Pvt. Ltd. will provide technical support while Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) and CDDL are extending all out supports for the work, he said.

CDDL Managing Director Enamul Baqui told a group of journalists that they would assist the repair work with their manpower, technical support and expertise.

BSC Director (Commercial) Shahidul Alam said repair of a seriously damaged oil tanker by a local firm is beyond our expectation.

He, however, said BSC itself will install the engine and do other navigational work of the Banglar Shourabh in the second phase.