Serious allegations of fuel theft from vessels, fabrication of false bills and vouchers, and embezzlement of public funds through irregularities in contracting have surfaced against the Marine Conservation and Operations Department of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA). It has been alleged that the irregularities have been carried out through an influential syndicate. The names of Nazrul Islam, master of the tugboat Durdanta at Chandpur River Port, and Md. Sabur Khan, Joint Director of BIWTA’s Marine Conservation and Operations Department office in Chandpur, have also surfaced in connection with the allegations.
According to information obtained during an inquiry, against the backdrop of the global fuel crisis, the BIWTA Chairman instructed officials on March 16, 2026, to procure diesel and lubricating oil directly from government depots. Following the directive, a total of 44,000 litres of diesel and lubricating oil were collected from the Chandpur Depot in four separate consignments beginning March 18.
Although official documents reportedly show that the fuel was supplied to various vessels, allegations suggest that a substantial portion was never actually delivered for operational use and was instead misappropriated. According to the records, 8,000 litres of diesel were allocated to the salvage vessel Rustom, while 3,000 litres and 5,000 litres were shown as supplied to the workboats Kapot and Arial Khan, respectively. Another 26,000 litres were reportedly allocated to the tugboat Durdanta, while 2,000 litres were shown against the SMB-3 marking boat.
People familiar with the inquiry claim that neither Rustom nor Durdanta took part in any salvage operation during the period in question. Meanwhile, allegations have emerged that the SMB-3 marking boat was kept idle and that hired ordinary boats were used instead to carry out marking operations. It has further been alleged that an additional Tk 135,000 was shown as rental expenditure for such boats over the past three months.
According to the allegations, at a rate of Tk 95 per litre, the total value of the 44,000 litres of fuel amounts to approximately Tk 4.18 million. The allegation is that instead of being used for official operations, the entire consignment was diverted and sold on the open market by a syndicate, resulting in the misappropriation of public funds. However, the allegations require verification through an impartial investigation.
An even more serious allegation concerns an incident reportedly taking place late at night on May 30. It has been alleged that government diesel was transferred directly from the tugboat Durdanta into a tanker belonging to a local fuel trader in Chandpur using a pumping machine. According to claims regarding covert CCTV footage, Nazrul Islam, the vessel’s master, was present at the scene and allegedly stood guard during the transfer.
It has further been alleged that several crew members noticed the incident and raised objections. The individuals involved allegedly attempted to silence them by offering Tk 1.1 million. Subsequently, the employees were reportedly threatened with dismissal and transfers through locally influential individuals in an effort to suppress the matter.
Nazrul Islam, however, has denied the allegations. He rejected any involvement in fuel theft and reportedly requested that no report be published concerning the alleged video footage.
When contacted regarding the allegations, Md. Sabur Khan, Joint Director of the Chandpur River Port, acknowledged that he was aware of the matter but declined to provide any detailed