In this quarterly publication, the NGO Shipbreaking Platform informs about the shipbreaking industry in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. In total, 127 ships were dismantled worldwide from January until March 2024.
Developments in Bangladesh and India
A recent article in the Bangladeshi media newspaper The Daily Star sheds light on the pressing issue of environment a land labour exploitation in Bangladesh’ s shipbreaking industry. It underscores the lack of regulatory enforcement in the country, allowing ship owners, particularly from the Global North, and cash buyers to exploit the situation for their own benefits. Concerns related to the use of “last- voyage packages” by ship owners and cash buyers when selling ships to South Asia as a way of disposing of toxic ships without proper scrutiny or account ability, and taking advantage of lax regulations in the country , were raised in the article. Despite the evident risks to workers and ecosystems posed by the shipbreaking industry in Chattogram and yard owners often ignoring existing regulations, little progress has been made in addressing these concerns.
Moreover, the article points out that even though Bangladesh’s steel rerolling industry, which heavily relies on scrap steel from shipbreaking, contributes significantly to the economy, Bangladesh only receives 10% of it s steel from this sector. Overall, the article highlights the urgent need for stricter regulatory measures and enforcement to protect workers’ rights and the environment from the adverse effects of the industry. It also raises concerns about the account ability of both domes tic and international stakeholders, including worldwide corporations from the Global North, in ensuring ethical and sustainable practices in ship disposal.
SHIPBREAKING WORKERS PROTESTED FOR EID BONUS IN CHATTOGRAM, BANGLADESH
On Friday 22 March, shipbreaking workers in Chattogram protested by forming a human chain to demand that yard owners pay wages and bonuses before Eid ul-Fitr, a Muslim celebration. The President of Shipbreaking Workers Trade Union Forum, Tapan Dutta, said that the workers have been illegally deprived from their Eid bonuses for many yea r s , despite the continuous protests. According to the Bangladesh Labour Code, shipbreaking workers are entitled to receive their bonuses, March salary and partial salary of April by this time. The protestors told The Business Standard that “such bonuses are not mere gifts or favours from employers but are rights protected by the labour l aw.”. In general, shipbreaking workers’ salaries are not in compliance with the minimum wage approved by the government for the sec tor in 2018.
IRISH VESSELS SCRAPPED ON THE BEACHES OF BANGLADESH AND INDIA
The scrapping of the vessels THANOS (IMO ) and JARVIS (IMO 9197301), both owned by Irish company Trade Credebt Limited, on the beaches of Bangladesh and India has drawn attention from Irish media. In May 2022, the THANOS arrived in Chattogr am in Bangladesh, while the JARVIS arrived in Alang, India in June 2022. Ships sailing under an EU flag or trading in EU waters cannot legally be scrapped in the shipbreaking yards of South Asia, as per European Union regulations. Trade Credebt, however, rejected any account ability.
