The accident took place at around 9.30am on 11 November at the BIWTA jetty near Muktijoddha Park in Barishal city. Officials associated with the vessel initially attributed the incident to a possible mechanical or technical fault, although the precise cause has yet to be established.
According to vessel personnel, the crew were carrying out their regular weekly exercises and cleaning activities when the accident occurred. As part of the routine operation, the crane boom was being gradually lowered for inspection and maintenance. However, barely five seconds after the operation began, a technical malfunction reportedly caused a section at the front of the crane to break away and fall.
The sudden collapse alarmed the crew members on board. Senior BIWTA officials rushed to the site after receiving information about the incident to assess the situation and oversee the necessary response.
Mohammad Alamgir, master of the rescue vessel Nirbhik, said the crew had been carrying out the same routine work as they did every week. The crane was being lowered slowly when the unexpected failure occurred.
He said the crew themselves were unable to determine immediately what had caused the technical malfunction. One member of the vessel’s staff reportedly lost consciousness after becoming frightened by the incident. However, the crew member subsequently recovered and was reported to be in good health.
Abdullah Al Baki, commander of Nirbhik, said the authorities had already begun preparations to recover the damaged vessel and the collapsed section of the crane. As part of the operation, another BIWTA rescue vessel, Pratyay, had departed from Narayanganj for Barishal to provide assistance.
The deployment of Pratyay is expected to support the recovery operation, particularly given the size and operational capacity of the damaged equipment. The authorities will need to assess the condition of the crane and the vessel before determining the appropriate steps for restoring normal operations.
Mohammad Selim Mia, assistant director of Barishal Fire Service, said fire service personnel visited the location after receiving reports of the accident. They inspected the site and assessed the immediate situation.
He confirmed that no one had been killed or injured. However, the falling crane section caused some damage to a barge, also known as a pontoon, belonging to BIWTA’s dredger base. The authorities were working to establish the full extent of the damage.
Barishal Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Mamun Khandaker also visited the scene following the incident. He said separate investigation committees would be formed by the district administration and BIWTA to determine the circumstances surrounding the crane collapse.
The findings of the investigations are expected to provide further details about the cause of the failure and the extent of the damage. The committees will be responsible for examining the incident and identifying the factors that may have contributed to the accident.
According to available information, the rescue vessel Nirbhik was transferred to the BIWTA jetty on the banks of the Kirtankhola River in Barishal in 2013. The vessel has a lifting capacity of 250 tonnes and is primarily used for major maritime emergencies and rescue operations rather than routine movement.
Rescue vessels of this capacity play an important role in responding to serious accidents on Bangladesh’s inland waterways, particularly when large vessels sink or require specialised recovery assistance. Their cranes and other mechanical equipment are essential for lifting and handling heavy objects during such operations.
The collapse has therefore raised questions about the mechanical condition and maintenance of the equipment aboard Nirbhik. However, no definitive conclusion about the cause can be drawn until the investigations are completed. The authorities’ assessment of the damaged crane, together with the findings of the proposed investigations, will be important in determining what went wrong and whether additional safety measures are required to prevent similar incidents in the future.
