A cargo vessel loaded with coal sank in southern Bangladesh on Monday night, 26 October 2026. It sank after a collision with an oil tanker. All the people on board were rescued, and no deaths or injuries were reported.
The vessel was the Phulbari, also written Fulbari in some reports. It carried 1,250 tonnes of coal. The collision happened near Sundari Kota, in the Pasur (Pashur) river channel. This channel leads to Mongla Port and goes through the Sundarbans mangrove forest.
What happened
The Phulbari is a lighter, a smaller vessel that takes cargo from a big ship and carries it up the river. It had loaded the coal from the ship Yas Jupiter at anchor near Hiron Point. It was on its way to Dhaka.
The vessel collided with the oil tanker Jannatul Ferdous. The Business Standard (TBS), a Bangladeshi newspaper, says the impact cracked the Phulbari. Water came in, and the vessel sank quickly.
The two sides tell different stories about the cause. The helmsman of the Phulbari told TBS that the tanker lost control and hit them. A deck crew member of the tanker said an anchor problem made the tanker drift into the main channel. No official report on the cause has been published.
The rescue
The helmsman told TBS that the crew tried to steer to the river bank, but the vessel sank first. They put on life jackets, jumped into the water and swam. TBS says they swam to another vessel. Barlekha Today, a Bangladeshi news site, says they climbed onto a char, a small sandbank island in the forest, and then waited for help.
The vessel Rania-13 picked them up. Its captain told Barlekha Today that he heard about the accident by a radio message at about 23:00. The crew were safe at about 23:30, the site says.
Reports give different numbers. TBS says ten people were rescued. Nine came from the Phulbari, and one was a tanker crew member who was thrown onto the Phulbari by the impact. Barlekha Today and the Dhaka Tribune say 11 people were rescued.
The rescued crew were taken to Mongla. On 27 October they were staying at the Mongla office of a union for inland vessel workers.
The river channel
Mongla Port Authority said the vessel sank outside the main channel. Other ships can move normally. The port told the owners to remove the wreck as soon as possible. TBS said that no salvage work had started by about 14:15 on 27 October.
What crews can learn
These are general safety points for crews on rivers and narrow channels. They are not findings about this accident:
Keep a good lookout at night, and use radar where you have it. Call the other vessel early on VHF radio if its movement is not clear.
Slow down when you meet another vessel in a narrow channel.
Before anchoring or leaving an anchorage, check that the anchor and windlass work well. A dragging anchor can push a vessel into the traffic lane.
Keep life jackets where the crew can reach them fast. Wear one when you must leave the vessel.
Know your position and call for help early on the radio, so nearby vessels can come.
Cover photo: A small passenger vessel passes in front of a large tanker on the Pasur river in the Sundarbans, February 2017. Illustrative photo, not the vessels in this story. Photo: Nazmulhuqrussell/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped).
Sources: The Business Standard: Cargo vessel carrying 1,250 tonnes of coal sinks in Sundarbans after colliding with oil tanker (27 Oct 2026), Barlekha Today: Coal-laden MV Fulbari sinks after collision at Sundari Kotha in the Sundarbans, 11 crew rescued (27 Oct 2026), Dhaka Tribune: Coal-laden cargo ship sinks after collision in Sundarbans, 11 rescued (27 Oct 2026).
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