Ten days in a container

A man, reportedly from Bangladesh, was recovered from a locked, empty container at Visakhapatnam Port in Andhra Pradesh of India on Wednesday.

The victim, Md Roman Hossain, was found in dehydrated condition as he was without food and water for about 10 days, Venkat Rao, an official at One Town Police Station at Visakhapatnam, told our Chittagong correspondent by phone.

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He was undergoing treatment at a local hospital where his condition was improving, said the official, adding that they would take steps to send him back home once he got well.

Quoting Hossain, 25, police said he was from Munshiganj, where he had no home or work. About 10 days ago, he first travelled to Dhaka and then to Chittagong Port looking for a job. There, when he saw an empty container, he got into it and fell asleep as he was tired.   

Meanwhile, the Bangladesh authorities got in touch with the Indian home ministry seeking information about the man.

“We got in touch with the Indian home ministry on the subject and we are looking forward to their feedback,” Bangladesh Deputy High Commissioner Salauddin Noman Chowdhury told our New Delhi correspondent.

Venkat Rao said the man appeared to be a labourer and police did not suspect it to be a case of human trafficking. “We never came across such an instance before. It looks to be an accidental case.”

Lt Col Abdul Gaffar, director (security) of Chittagong Port Authority, said they were aware of the incident and were investing it.

The empty container was sent from Chittagong Port on a vessel named MV Sinar Batan on October 7, said sources at the port.

The container, owned by Geneva-based Mediterranean Shipping Company, was booked by its Visakhapatnam-based local agent Samsara Shipping Company. The container was sent from a private inland container depot, QNS Container Services Limited.

It was kept at a jetty of New Mooring Container Terminal and loaded on the vessel, officials said.

Tanvir Hossain, chief operating officer of Saif Powertech, the berth operating firm of the jetty, said they were unaware of the incident.

Empty containers that come from private depots are checked at the port's entry gate and their doors are not sealed off during loading, he added.

He suspects the man in question passed into the container after it was loaded on the ship.

Nurul Qayyum Khan, chairman of QNS Container Services Limited, told The Daily Star they were still verifying if the container was sent from their depot.  

But he added it was almost impossible for anyone to get on an empty container and be shipped that way because the doors of empty containers are kept open and checked when they pass through the port gates to avert any such illegal entry.

Earlier in April 2011, two dock workers -- Al Amin and Deen Islam -- who reportedly got trapped in a container at Chittagong Port ended up in Singapore Port. After nine days, Islam was recovered alive but Amin died.