Captain-Nikolas

The 'Captain Nikolas' was arrested at Chattogram on April 11, 2025, following an order from a Bangladesh court. The lawsuits leading to the arrest were filed due to the vessel's involvement in a fire at the port on Oct 16, 2024, at around 12:45 a.m., during an LPG transfer with the tanker 'B-LPG Sophia' (IMO: 9175846). While the fire on the 'Captain Nikolas' was extinguished by 3:30 a.m, the fire on the other ship continued to burn for another 12 hours, and it was found beyond repair and has been broken up in Chittagong since. The LPG Operators Association of Bangladesh alleged that the origin of the LPG cargo aboard the LPG tanker was unclear and that the records regarding its origin were falsified. The issue that the vessel possibly had violated sanctions was under investigation separately. The 'Captain Nikolas' was seized following the fire and remained stationary in Chattogram since due to legal disputes, still holding around 34,000 tons of cargo. The two separate court orders stem from the two admiralty suits filed against the vessel. One suit was filed by the Atlantis Gas DMCC, the owner of the 'B-LPG Sophia', which led to an arrest warrant being issued on April 9. The second admiralty suit was filed by theXenon Energy DMCC, a UAE-based company, which led to a warrant being issued against the same vessel on April 10. The vessel was finally seized on April 11, following two separate court orders for its arrest. The owner of the 'Captain Nikolas' has appointed counsel to contest the lawsuits and was trying to get the vessel released.

After three fires involving four ships in two weeks, port stakeholders in Chittagong were having questions about local firefighting capacity, and whether it was making sense to import sanctioned energy cargoes aboard questionable vessels. A major fire broke out aboard the 'B LPG Sophia' and 'Captain Nikolas' during an allegedly illegal ship-to-ship transfer off Kutubdia, Chittagong. The 'Captain Nikolas' was offloading its cargo to the Bangladeshi lighterage vessel, when a fire broke out aboard both vessels. All 31 crewmembers survived, but the the lighter tanker was significantly damaged. The LPG Operators Association of Bangladesh (LOAB) claimed that the origin of the cargo aboard the 'Captain Nikolas' was misdeclared, and that it actually came from Iran, a sanctioned supplier. The LOAB believed that customs officials were involved in this unlawful import arrangement, and that at least one additional vessel delivered a sanctioned Iranian LPG cargo. The 'Captain Nikolas' likely loaded a cargo of sanctioned Iranian LNG in the Persian Gulf with wo sister ships being engaged in the same trade. On Oct 15, Bangladesh's shipping ministry issued a circular urging importers to abide by the law on sanctioned vessels and cargoes, reminding companies that Bangladesh required maritime stakeholders to comply with U.S., UN and EU sanctions, and that violations expose Bangladesh to national security risks and reputational problems. The agency forbids any activities involving sanctioned cargo loading, unloading or transshipment in Bangladeshi waters. The incident with the two LPG tankers was the third major vessel fire near Chittagong within two weeks. A blaze broke out aboard the 'Banglar Shourabh' on Oct 4, killing one crew member, and a fire aboard the tanker 'Banglar Jyoti' killed three on Sep 30, prompting calls for more firefighting capabilities at Chittagong. The port has no dedicated firefighting vessels with the equipment to combat petroleum fires. Report with photo: https://maritime-executive.com/article/chittagong-vessel-fires-raise-questions-about-sanctions-and-safety

After a massive fire broke out on two LPG carriers 'Captain Nikolas' and 'B-LPG Sophia', while they were transferring cargo off the coast of Bangladesh on Oct 13 at around 12:45 a.m., while the tankers were anchored near Kutubdia, Chattogram, the Chittagong Port Authority has formed a committee to investigate the accident. The committee’s report must be completed within one week. The Bangladesh Coast Guard and Navy had responded immediately, sending seven vessels to help extinguish the fire. The fire on board the 'Captain Nikolas' was brought under control at around 03.30 a.m. The fire on the 'B-LPG Sophia'Ä burned until 1230 p.m. Teams from Bangladesh’s Navy and Coastguard continued to monitor the vessel for the risk of a re-ignition. 31 people jumped into the water from both ships to escape the fire, but were safely rescued with no serious injuries reporded. Eight locally hired watchman who were on the 'Captain Nikolas' were among the rescued. Allegedly the cargo on the 'Captain Nikolas' was misdeclared and actually came from Iran, which is under sanctions, as per the LPG Operators Association of Bangladesh (LOAB). Mohd Omar Faruk, Secretary of the Chittagong Port Authority, stated that the inspection of the 'Captain Nikolas' found no sign of illegal cargo and that the LPG was loaded in Dubai or Oman. The tanker was detained in Hunan in January due to fire protection issues on the cargo deck and was cited again in March for the same violations. Over the past nine months, it has been registered with Panama and Cook Islands before changing flag to Tanzania. Between Sep 9 and Sep18, ahead of the voyage to Bangladesh, the AIS transmissions were consistent with patterns of manipulation. The 'B-LPG Sophia' was found with 16 deficiencies, including to its emergency fire pumps and its pipes, during an inspection in Chittagong on Sep 6. Report with photo: https://maritime-executive.com/article/two-lpg-carriers-catch-fire-at-chittagong-during-sts-transfer