Captain Asif Ahmed’s masterful ship-handling averts explosion that would have a catastrophic death toll, crippled critical infrastructure
A routine pilotage operation turned into a 60-minute fight for survival on Tuesday when a laden LPG carrier suffered complete engine failure while manoeuvring near the KAFCO Ammonia Jetty. Captain Asif Ahmed, Assistant Harbour Master of Chittagong Port Authority, brought the vessel within 1.2 meters of the structure before executing emergency manoeuvres that maritime officials say prevented a technological disaster of catastrophic proportions.
The Gas Harmony, a 160-meter vessel carrying 515 metric tons of propane and 4,570 metric tons of butane—over 5,000 metric tons of highly explosive liquefied gas—lost all propulsion at approximately 10:40 a.m. while navigating the confined 225-meter-wide Karnaphuli Channel. What followed was an hour of uncontrolled drift that placed the vessel on a collision course with an industrial jetty where 30 maintenance personnel were working.
“Dead Ship” in Living Danger
According to port officials and vessel logs, the main propulsion system failed without warning while Captain Asif was conducting pilotage duties. The vessel became what mariners call a “dead ship”—without engine power, steering, or means of self-propulsion—subject entirely to wind and current in one of the port’s most sensitive waterways.
Standard emergency protocols were executed immediately. Both anchors were deployed—starboard to three shackles on deck, port to two shackles—and attending tugboats applied maximum astern thrust. These measures, typically sufficient to arrest drift, proved inadequate against the forces acting on the 18,311-gross-ton vessel.
With the bow bearing down on the jetty, contact appeared inevitable.
The Maneuver
It was at this point, officials familiar with the incident report, that Captain Asif ordered an unconventional and counterintuitive action: heaving the starboard anchor—the vessel’s primary means of holding position—back onto the deck.
The manoeuvre altered the vessel’s drift pattern, swinging the bow away from the jetty. The Gas Harmony passed the KAFCO structure with just 1.2 meters to spare—a margin measured in mere meters against a vessel longer than a football field, carrying enough flammable gas to level the surrounding industrial zone.
The danger was not over. As the bow cleared, the port quarter swung toward the jetty. Captain Asif immediately adapted, halting the starboard heave and ordering the port anchor heaved to control the stern’s movement. Through this sequential, asymmetric use of the anchors—coordinated with tugboat assistance—the vessel was eventually brought to safe anchorage abeam of the United Tank Terminal Jetty, concluding the emergency at 11:40 a.m. without injury, environmental release, or structural contact.
Calculated Risk, Conscious Exposure
What distinguished Tuesday’s response, according to senior port officials who reviewed the incident, was Captain Asif’s sustained presence and direction of operations from the bridge throughout the 60-minute emergency.
With the vessel carrying over 5,000 metric tons of explosive cargo and positioned within meters of a collision that would have triggered immediate vapor cloud ignition, the bridge represented one of the most exposed locations in the port area. Maritime safety protocols acknowledge that in such scenarios, personnel may be required to evacuate non-essential positions. Captain Asif remained on the bridge, directing the bridge team and coordinating tugboat operations while the vessel’s position remained critical.
“These were not textbook conditions,” said one official familiar with the channel’s challenges. “Total propulsion failure in confined waters with that cargo profile—there is no standard procedure that guarantees outcome. The manoeuvres executed required real-time adaptation under extreme time pressure.”
The Scenario Avoided
The consequences of contact between the Gas Harmony and the KAFCO Ammonia Jetty, as assessed by port safety officials, extend far beyond vessel and infrastructure damage.
A breach of the vessel’s cargo tanks would have released propane and butane into the atmosphere, creating an immediate risk of a vapour cloud explosion. The 30 maintenance personnel on the jetty would have been within the primary blast zone. The vessel’s own crew and emergency responders would have faced catastrophic fire conditions.
Beyond the immediate explosion and fire risk, officials noted the potential for breaching adjacent nitrogen storage facilities. Such a release could have caused widespread asphyxiation and toxic exposure in the densely populated Chittagong metropolitan area, where residential neighbourhoods lie within kilometres of the industrial waterfront.
The jetty’s strategic location creates cascading infrastructure vulnerabilities. A significant explosion could have disabled Shah Amanat International Airport due to flight path proximity, compromised operational readiness at Bangladesh Navy and Coast Guard berths, and damaged the Karnaphuli Tunnel—the city’s critical subterranean transport artery connecting its eastern and western sectors.
Professional Standards Under Duress
Captain Asif holds a Master Mariner certificate and has served as Assistant Harbour Master for six years. His pilotage license covers the full range of Chittagong Port operations, including vessels carrying hazardous cargoes through restricted waters.
The Gas Harmony incident falls outside standard training simulations, according to maritime educators. Complete propulsion failure in pilotage waters, with immediate collision risk and high-consequence cargo, tests the intersection of technical knowledge, situational awareness, and decision-making under mortal risk.
“The precision achieved—1.2 meters—under those conditions, with no engine power, speaks to execution at the highest professional standard,” noted one ex-harbour master who reviewed the incident report. “But the sustained direction of operations, the refusal to evacuate while the vessel remained in a critical position, that represents something beyond technical competence.”
Investigation and Review
The Gas Harmony sailed out after discharging the cargo. The vessel’s classification society and flag state authorities have been notified.
The Chittagong Port Authority has initiated an internal review of emergency response protocols for vessels carrying hazardous cargoes in restricted waters. While Tuesday’s outcome has been confirmed as incident-free, the narrow margin—1.2 meters—and the initial inadequacy of standard measures have prompted examination of whether additional safeguards or response capabilities are warranted for high-consequence cargoes in confined channels.
Captain Asif has continued his duties with the port authority. When approached for comment, he referred inquiries to official channels, noting that the incident remains under review.
For the 30 maintenance personnel who completed their shift at KAFCO Ammonia Jetty on Tuesday, and for the surrounding city of Chittagong, the 60-minute emergency passed without a visible indication of the catastrophe that navigated within meters of their shores.
