Chittagong Port went into a tizzy on August 10 afternoon when an alarm system detected a suspected radioactive substance in six containers that arrived on a cargo ship, MV Mount Cameron, whose last port of call was Colombo before docking at Chittagong.
Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) sources told Northeast News that when MV Mount Cameron, which operates under Hong Kong flag, berthed at Chittagong Port with iron scrap material that was loaded onto the vessel in Brazil. On August 3, the six containers reportedly went past Customs, but an alarm system went off at Jetty No. 9 of the port’s general cargo berth (GCB) terminal on August 10, alerting port authorities to radioactive substances in the containers.
Bangladesh’s Shipping Ministry Adviser Brigadier (retd) Shakhwat Hossein, Matarbari Port Authority head Zakir Hossain, CPA Chairman Rear Admiral S M Moniruzzaman, and BIDA Managing BIDA Executive Chairman Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun were present at Chittagong port when the alarm went off.
The six containers in question were isolated and MV Mount Cameron was sent to the outer harbour near Matarbari in Cox’s Bazar. The CPA later informed the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission for deeper examination of the containers. The total volume of scrap metal in the six containers is about 135 tonnes, which was imported by Dhaka-based Al Aqsa Steel Mills Ltd. MA Mountg Cameron is 169.96 metres long and its width is 28.14 metres.
It is reliably learnt that even as inspection by the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission is pending, Customs House Chittagong confirmed that the Megaport Initiative Radiation Detection System detected radioactive material in the containers. Subsequently, first and second-stage examinations confirmed the presence of three radionuclide isotopes — thorium-232, radium-226, and iridium-192.
While the initial readings of the tests showed a radioactivity level of one microsievert, a relatively low amount, the actual radiation level inside could not be immediately confirmed without further tests, as the container’s steel walls and the scrap metal inside may block accurate readings.
MV Mount Cameron set sail from Brazil almost a month ago along with the six containers that were part of an LCL arrangement. LCL refers to less than container load. Instead of booking an entire container, shippers with smaller cargo volumes can share space within a container with other shippers.
ALSO READ: How US diplomats in Dhaka are running the Mohammad Yunus-led interim regime
CPA officials tracked the movement of the ship over the last 30 days, finding out that while the vessel originated in Brazil, it weighed anchor at two other ports in the Netherlands and Sri Lanka’s Colombo. It is worrisome that the containers were not detected for radioactive substances in the Netherlands and Sri Lanka.
