Bureau Veritas Solutions Marine & Offshore urged the shipping industry to adopt higher standards in ship recycling. For this reason, BVS provides insight into the challenges of meeting ship recycling requirements, as well ten tips to achieve compliance.
Two workers lost their lives at a shipbreaking yard in in Bangladesh, on Saturday, October 12. According to local sources, the probable cause of the deaths may have been that they inhaled toxic gas. Dangerous shipbreaking in Bangladesh is a great area of concern for human rights organizations and working unions around the world, over the unsafe working conditions and polluting ship dismantling practices.
The Government of Canada, is investing into a variety of options to recycle and dispose boats made of fibreglass, aiming to protect Canada’s land and waterways from plastic waste and marine litter. Transport Canada proposed to Canadian small and medium-sized businesses to lead innovative solutions for recycling or reusing fibreglass.
Two workers were killed and several others were injured in a Chittagong shipbreaking yard, in Bangladesh, after falling from height while attempting to climb an old ship. The incident was reported at Ziri Subedar ship-breaking yard in Sitakunda, on Saturday evening.
After a worker lost his life while cutting the ship ‘Ever Union’ at a shipbreaking yard in Bangladesh, on July 23, Evergreen released a press statement expressing sympathy for this loss of life and for any other resulting from an industrial accident. It also disclaimed any responsibility, as the ship had been already in the hands of a buyer who had provided assurances that the breakers yard concerned is a certified Green-Ship Recycling shipyard.
According to VesselsValue, in the first six months of 2019, 201 cargo vessels were sold for demolition, 75% were scrapped in Bangladesh or India, with the former having the majority share. In comparison to 2018’s first six months, scrapping decreased by 18%.
On July 23, a cutter man died while working at Kabir Steel’s Khawja shipbreaking yard in Chittagong, Bangladesh. According to local sources, Shahidul was cutting the container ship Ever Union, when he fell from a great height. The Ever Union was sold for scrapping for more than $10 million. Before reaching the shore, the ship was renamed Vera and changed registry to the Paris MoU black-listed flag of Palau.
Germany is the latest newly-added member in IMO’s treaty for safe and environmentally-sound ship recycling – the Hong Kong Convention. Mr. Reinhard Klingen, Director-General Waterways and Shipping in the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure of Germany, met IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim at IMO Headquarters, London, 16 July, to deposit the instrument of accession.
The ship-recycling sector poses serious threats to people and the environment, as well. The sector has high levels of fatalities, injuries and work-related illnesses wich occur mainly from hazardous materials onboard.
It seems that lately the all-consuming, requirements of 2020 sulphur cap are somehow overshadowing those of the Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM) which are crucial for ensuring green and sustainable shipping as well, in the ship recycling field though. IHM is one of the most important documents in planning the recycling process of a ship.
