Two workers were killed and thirteen others were injured in a Chittagong shipbreaking yard, in Bangladesh, after falling from height while attempting to climb an old ship, on Saturday evening.
The incident was reported at Ziri Subedar ship-breaking yard in Sitakunda, Chattogram, around 5:15 pm on Saturday, local media report.
In particular, some workers of the ship-breaking yard were climbing an old ship with ladder made of rope, but the rope was torn down and 12 to 15 workers fell down.
NGO Shipbreaking Platform identifies the ship as the container ship ‘CSL Virginia’, reporting that a heavy cable collapsed, hitting several workers at once.
A total of five people were transferred to Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH). Two of them were declared dead.
Following the accident, local authorities ordered the temporary closure of the yard. Investigations are ongoing.
The container ship CSL VIRGINIA was beached in Bangladesh in February 2019.
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.
It’s sad that our regulatory authorities had to wait for deaths of seven workers and grievous injuries of fifteen in a row of seven incidences in this yard alone since 2011. Had they acted earlier, we could have saved these invaluable lives. The negligent authorities should also be punished as their failures and seeming cohesion have led to these tragic events. I also wonder how long it will take for the West to act on these deaths and stop sending vessels to the unsafe yards of Bangladesh,
On 31st July, three workers lost their lives and at least six were injured due to a toxic gas leak at a shipbreaking yard in Chattogram, Bangladesh.
In late 2018, IMO launched the second phase of a joint project with Norway (SENSREC), aimed to enhance safe and environmentally sound ship recycling in Bangladesh.
The 19-month project, funded under a US$1.1 million agreement with Norway, will focus on legal and institutional analysis of ship recycling in the country and will develop a roadmap for the Government of Bangladesh to accede to Hong Kong Convention.
