2014 Sundarbans oil spill

Environmental disaster in Bangladesh May 2026 2014 Sundarbans oil spill File:Spilt oil in Sundarban.jpg Spilled oil on the Shela River Shela River, Sundarbans, Khulna District, BangladeshAbu Bakar Siddique The Sundarbans in big trouble https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2014/dec/10/sundarbans-big-trouble Dhaka Tribune 22 21 51 N 89 40 1 E type:edu title inline 9 December 2014 Collision between oil tanker and cargo vessel MS Harun & Co. 350,000 L impgal usgal 350 km2 on December 2014 The 2014 Sundarbans oil spill was an oil spill that occurred on 9 December 2014 at the Shela River in Sundarbans, Bangladesh, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-30448377 India on alert after Sunderbans oil spill in Bangladesh BBC 16 December 2014Phillips Tom Fears for rare wildlife as oil 'catastrophe' strikes Bangladesh https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/bangladesh/11291856/Fears-for-rare-wildlife-as-oil-catastrophe-strikes-Sundarbans.html 15 December 2014 The Daily Telegraph 13 December 2014 The spill occurred when an oil-tanker named Southern Star VII, https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/pollution/350-tonne-oil-spill-by-Bangladeshi-ship-threatens-Sunderbans/articleshow/45483696.cms 350-tonne oil spill by Bangladeshi ship threatens Sunderbans Krishnendu Mukherjee Rakhi Chakrabarty The Times of India 15 December 2014 carrying 350,000 L impgal usgal of furnace oil, was in collision with a cargo vessel and sank in the river. https://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/12/14/massive-oil-spill-threatens-bangladeshs-sundarbans/ Massive Oil Spill Threatens Bangladesh's Sundarbans Global Voices Online 15 December 2014 By 17 December, the oil had spread over a 350 km2 on area."Assessing the oil spill's impact on Bangladesh's Sundarbans forest". Deutsche Welle. 17 December 2014. The oil spread to a second river and a network of canals in Sundarbans, which blackened the shoreline.Bangladesh launches campaign to clean up Sunderbans oil spill https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/Bangladesh-launches-campaign-to-clean-up-Sunderbans-oil-spill/article60094727.ece 15 December 2014 The Hindu The spill threatened trees, plankton, and vast populations of small fish and dolphins. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2014/12/bangladesh-begins-oil-clean-up-after-spill-2014121292319849578.html Bangladesh begins oil clean-up after spill Aljazeera 15 December 2014 The spill occurred at a protected mangrove area, home to rare Irrawaddy and Ganges river dolphins. By 12 January 2015, 70000 L impgal usgal of oil had been cleaned up by local residents, the Bangladesh Navy, and the government of Bangladesh. http://www.prothom-alo.com/bangladesh/article/421969 ৩০ টন তেলমাখা সামগ্রী, অপসারিত হয়নি বাকি তেল, দুশ্চিন্তা কাটেনি Prothom Alo 13 January 2015 13 January 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150113121140/http://www.prothom-alo.com/bangladesh/article/421969 dead Location The collision between the oil tanker and the cargo vessel occurred at the Shela River in Sundarbans, Khulna Division, Bangladesh. The site is near Mongla Port, and is about 100 km mi from Kolkata Port. The oil tanker was at anchor at the confluence between the Shela River and the Passur River in dense fog when the cargo vessel collided with it at 5am on 9 December 2014.https://maptia.com/aratikumarrao/stories/oil-spill-in-the-sundarbans Oil spill in the Sundarbans Kumar-Rao, Arati 24 December 2014 Maptia 21 February 2015 21 February 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150221144123/https://maptia.com/aratikumarrao/stories/oil-spill-in-the-sundarbans dead The site is in a protected mangrove area, home to rare Irrawaddy and Ganges dolphins. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2014/12/bangladesh-oil-spill-threatens-rare-dolphins-20141211165442529249.html Bangladesh oil spill threatens rare dolphins Aljazeera 15 December 2014 Casualties and losses thumb|Salvaged oil tanker Seven crew members of the sunken ship managed to swim ashore,India on alert after oil spill in Sundarbans https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-sundarbans-idUSKBN0JQ1BZ20141212 12 December 2014 9 May 2022 Reuters but the captain of the ship, Mokhlesur Rahman, died, and his body was recovered a few kilometers away from the spot where the ship sank.Callousness cause for Sundarban environmental disaster http://www.observerbd.com/2014/12/17/61220.php 17 December 2014 observerbd.com 17 December 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20141217115602/http://www.observerbd.com/2014/12/17/61220.php dead Experts estimated that 1000000000 BDT was lost as a result of the sinking of the oil-tanker. http://www.clickittefaq.com/more-stories/tk-100-cr-loss-feared-sundarban-oil-spill/ TK 100 cr. loss feared from Sundarban oil spill The Daily Ittefaq 15 December 2014 15 December 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20141215220859/http://www.clickittefaq.com/more-stories/tk-100-cr-loss-feared-sundarban-oil-spill/ dead The residents of the surrounding area are at a health risk. The government of Bangladesh told the local residents to collect the oil and sell it to the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation. The local oil collectors faced health risks and various skin diseases, including hair fallout if furnace oil mixed with water contacts a person's face or hair. Environmental issues left|thumb|A dead crab and color interference pattern formed in the spilled oil. thumb|Oil covered trees Environmentalists warned that the event was an ecological "catastrophe", as the spill occurred at a protected area where rare dolphins were present. Experts expressed concerns that the oil spill will hamper the well-being of the aquatic organisms in the area. Wildlife near the river are at a risk of death, because the smell of oil makes breathing difficult.Oil spill in Sundarbans threatens food cycle http://en.prothom-alo.com/bangladesh/news/57215/Oil-spill-in-Sundarbans-threatens-food-cycle 19 December 2014 Prothom Alo https://web.archive.org/web/20141219172507/http://en.prothom-alo.com/bangladesh/news/57215/Oil-spill-in-Sundarbans-threatens-food-cycle 19 December 2014 dead Some images indicate that the disaster killed some animals. On 13 December 2014, a dead Irrawaddy dolphin was seen floating on the Harintana-Tembulbunia channel of the Shela River. https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2014/dec/14/first-dead-dolphin-spotted First dead dolphin spotted Siddique Abu Bakar The Dhaka Tribune 18 December 2014 However, it was not confirmed that the dolphin's death was caused by the oil spill. According to the local residents, few dolphins have been seen in the area since the oil spill. The oriental small-clawed otter (Amblonyx cinereus) is an aquatic carnivorous animal that lives in the aquatic ecosystem of Sundarbans.Bautista H. and Rahman K. M. M. (2016). Review On the Sundarbans Delta Oil Spill: Effects On Wildlife and Habitats. International Research Journal, 1(43), Part 2, pp: 93-96. DOI: 10.18454/IRJ.2016.43.143 On 18 December 2014, two dead otters were recovered from the Shela River by forest department workers. An autopsy of the two otters confirmed that they had died from ingesting oil. The otter is considered to be an endangered species, and has been included in the International Union for Conservation of Nature endangered list. http://en.prothom-alo.com/bangladesh/news/57260/Two-otters-dead-in-oil-spill Two otters dead in oil spill Mahmud Iftekhar Prothom Alo 22 December 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20141221142751/http://en.prothom-alo.com/bangladesh/news/57260/Two-otters-dead-in-oil-spill 21 December 2014 dead A team of forest department workers saw crocodiles, monitor lizards and many other animals smeared with oil at the Chandpai range of the Sundarbans. The oil spill is also posing a major threat to the forest's food cycle. Reports from various sources showed that the microorganisms, the primary level of the food cycle, are dying. The United Nations expressed deep concern over the oil spill, urging the government of Bangladesh to impose a "complete ban" on commercial vessels moving through the forest. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/dec/18/un-sends-team-to-clean-up-sunderbans-oil-spill-in-bangladesh UN sends team to clean up Sunderbans oil spill in Bangladesh 18 December 2014 AFP 19 December 2014 The Guardian Shajahan Khan, the shipping minister of Bangladesh, told Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha that he has talked with environmental experts, and they said that there will likely be no major damage as a result of the oil spill. Researchers said that Khan's claim was "unscientific and misleading". Ten species that are at risk as a result of the spill have been listed by The National Geographic Traveler. These species are the Irrawaddy dolphins, Bengal tigers, leopards, great egrets, rhesus macaques, northern river terrapins, black-capped kingfishers, chitals, saltwater crocodiles, and horseshoe crabs. https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2014/dec/20/bnp-probe-sundarbans-oil-spill BNP to probe Sundarbans oil spill The Dhaka Tribune 22 December 2014 The presence of white-rumped vulture (Gyps bengalensis) over the Sundarbans sky also indicated the large scale death of wild fauna. The secondary effect of oil spill is always much greater than the primary effects.Rahman K. M. M. & Rakhimov I. I. (2015). Ecological Effects of Oil Spill on Bangladesh Sundarbans Biodiversity. International Scientific and Practical Conference "Complex Problems of Technosphere Safety";Voronezh: Voronezh State Technical University, Russia;Part.VI.258p:Pp:16-21. Oil collection thumb|Local residents collecting oil After the spill, primarily Bangladeshi fishermen began to clean up the oil using sponges and sacks. Padma Oil Company, a government-owned corporation, bought the oil at a price of 30 takas per litre. http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2014/12/12/suranjit-peeved-over-sundarbans-oil-spill Suranjit peeved over Sundarbans oil spill Bdnews24.com 19 December 2014 The Bangladeshi navy initially sent four ships to deal with the spill, and planned to use chemicals to disperse the oil, but the plan was canceled, as there were concerns that dispersing the oil would further damage the ecology and biodiversity of the mangrove forest. https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2014/dec/13/dilly-dallying-delays-clean-sundarbans-spill Dilly dallying delays clean-up of Sundarbans spill The Dhaka Tribune 19 December 2014 The government of Bangladesh closed the Shela River to all vessels. https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/south-asia/River-route-closed-after-Sundarbans-oil-spill/article60321682.ece River route closed after Sundarbans oil spill The Hindu 15 December 2014 The owner of the sunken oil tanker, MS Harun & Co., began salvage efforts, assisted by three private rescue vessels. The Bangladesh Forest Department filed a 1 billion taka lawsuit against the owners of the two cargo ships involved in the collision. http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2014/12/10/govt-files-tk-1-billion-compensation-suit-for-sundarbans-oil-spill Govt files Tk 1 billion compensation suit for Sundarbans oil spill By 12 January 2015, the government, with the help of local residents, the Bangladesh Navy, and the owner of the oil tanker, had collected 70000 L impgal usgal of oil. The Bangladesh government said that they do not have the capacity to manage oil spills.No capacity to tackle oil spills http://www.hawker.com.bd/news_details.php?news_id=389549 The Daily Star 16 December 2014 16 December 2014 26 December 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20141226151916/http://www.hawker.com.bd/news_details.php?news_id=389549 dead https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2014/dec/14/india-alert-after-sunderbans-oil-spill India on alert after Sundarbans oil spill The Dhaka Tribune 16 December 2014 The Economic Relations Division of the Bangladesh government sent a letter to the United Nations' Bangladesh office on 15 December 2014, asking for help in the oil collection efforts. The United Nations accepted the request, and a team from the UNEP and OCHA went to the site of the spill.UN agrees to help govt contain oil spread http://en.prothom-alo.com/bangladesh/news/57157/Govt-seeks-UN-help-for-Sundarbans 17 December 2014 Prothom Alo https://web.archive.org/web/20141217121509/http://en.prothom-alo.com/bangladesh/news/57157/Govt-seeks-UN-help-for-Sundarbans 17 December 2014 dead A team from the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination arrived in the Dhaka to support the cleanup efforts. See also Environment Ecology Biology Rampal Power Station List of oil spills References External links Sundarbans oil spill Sundarbans oil spill In pictures: Bangladesh oil spill clean-up Oil spill takes toll on aquatic life Oil spill Category:Oil spills in Asia Category:Industrial accidents and incidents in Bangladesh Category:2014 in the environment Category:2014 industrial disasters Category:2014 health disasters Category:Environment of Bangladesh Category:Environmental conservation Category:2014 disasters in Bangladesh