Buried Liberian Ship Resurfaces After 33 Years

In the remote char of Urirchar, the earth is yielding a long-buried secret: a foreign cargo ship that has lain entombed in the soil for more than three decades. Excavation work, carried out with heavy machinery, has attracted crowds of onlookers, eager to witness the retrieval process. Already, a pit nearly 17 feet deep has been dug, yet the vessel’s main structure remains hidden beneath the mud.

The operation began on 4 January in the north-western part of Urirchar, specifically in Char Nyangta, an isolated area of Sandwip Union. Excavators have been hard at work clearing a stretch approximately 50 feet wide and 200 feet long, with trucks hauling away mounds of soil. The site is located roughly 15 kilometres from Banglabazar in Urirchar, adjacent to a Coast Guard contingent.

Archival records reveal the ship’s identity: MV Tony Best, a Liberian-flagged vessel once owned by Best Shipping Corporation, Liberia. The ship ran aground in the muddy waters off the Noakhali coast in 1993 and eventually became buried as the surrounding land gradually emerged from the sea. Following a lengthy legal process and multiple changes in ownership, the ship is finally being salvaged.

Locals recall that at the time of the grounding, the area was largely waterlogged and uninhabited. Over the subsequent decades, the char developed, farmland appeared, and the vessel slowly sank beneath the soil, fading from memory. When excavation resumed, curiosity quickly drew the community, eager to glimpse a piece of local maritime history.

One resident, 75-year-old Mukbul Hossain, known locally as ‘Mukbul Batani’, recalled: “I remember when the ship got stuck, though I cannot say exactly when. People from Char Laxmi removed some valuable items from the vessel, and gradually it disappeared beneath the earth.”

The ship’s specifications indicate that it sailed the Atlantic for over 22 years. Built in 1971, MV Tony Best met its final resting place near Bangladesh in 1993. Its current owner, Messrs Rayhan Traders, has taken over approximately ten acres of land above the buried vessel to facilitate its recovery. The ship measures around 470 feet in length and 68 feet in width, and is being salvaged primarily for scrap.

Efforts to retrieve the vessel have been complicated by machinery shortages. Prior attempts by previous owners—including Chittagong-based Muslim Traders and a private buyer in 2010—were unsuccessful. Rayhan Traders have now obtained official permission from the District Commissioner and the Department of Environment to continue the excavation. Borehole surveys confirm the vessel lies at a depth of 32 to 50 feet, with the hull expected to become visible at around 40 feet.

The site continues to attract daily crowds, with locals and social media buzzing with speculation and commentary on the long-awaited salvage operation.

Key Details of MV Tony Best