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]]>According to sources, most of the local demand for iron rod, an important construction component is met by the scrapped iron from this industry. Bangladeshi Ship breaking industry’s supply of scrap iron to the steel mills alone substitutes import of about 30 tonnes of billets and other raw materials. At the peak of business a few years ago at shipyards in Sitakunda, described as the graveyard of ships, more than 200 ships were dismantled a year. In 2010, due to court restrictions only 19 vessels were broken. In the face of protest and obeying the court order, the government had suspended import of recyclable ships for about a year.
Later, the government introduced new rules for ship breaking and formed a Ship Breaking Cell at the Ministry of Industries to implement the rules.
However, last year, courts lifted the ban on the import of ships until government ministries formulate detailed guidelines for the ship-breaking sector. That has seen business pick up pace again, with 150 ships dismantled in 2011.
Some 206 ships have already been broken in the first eight months of 2012. “The business is back on track and we are expecting more ships,” said Captain Salah Uddin Ahmed.
The industry is worth around $1b (£640m) and shipyard-owners say the sector employs nearly 200,000 workers. Ship-breaking yard owners claim they provide nearly 60 per cent of the country’s total steel demand.
With the boom in the construction sector in the country, there is a growing demand for iron and steel. They say the steel from the dismantled ships is also used by the country’s ship-building industry.
The industry is hoping to extract around three million tonnes of steel from the broken ships by the end of this year.
Shipyard owners argue that apart from contributing steel to the domestic industry, many parts of a ship such as propellers, generators and engines are reused or recycled. Every bit of the ship is recycled, reused and resold. Nothing goes to waste. Usually a ship needs nearly 3-6 months to be dismantled. Initially oils, toxic sludges and other wastes are pumped out.
The cable, the steel, the generators, funnels, propellers, lifeboats, companionways, sinks, toilets, even the light bulbs and every nut and bolt of the ship are dismantled and sold. The ships sold are turned into construction materials, girders, metal sheets and furniture. The sheet metals are used for riverboats and coastal craft.
Environmental groups argue that many of these ageing ships are not cleaned properly before they are brought to the shores.
They say many of these
vessels contain hazardous materials like asbestos and toxic chemicals.
Despite objections by environmentalists, more ships are expected to be brought to countries like Bangladesh, as it’s too expensive to get rid of unwanted vessels in developed countries. Bangladesh’s unique geography is also another reason why ageing ships are taken to the beaches there. The unique tide pattern makes it easy to ground the ship during occasional tides. The other leading countries in the ship-breaking business are India, Pakistan, Turkey and China. With their abundance of cheap labour, these countries control the global ship-breaking sector.
Courtesy of The Daily Star
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]]>Impact on environment and health
Md. Abu Sayed
Shipbreaking, referred to as ship recycling, is a type of ship disposal involving the dismantling of an obsolete vessel’s structure for scrapping or disposal. It includes a wide range of activities, from removing all gears and equipment to cutting down the ship’s infrastructure.Every year, about 600 end-of-life ships containing large amounts of toxic and hazardous substances and materials, and fuels, are sent to the beaches of South Asia, where they are dismantled. According to recent figures, 96 per cent of world’s GT ships were dismantled in India, Bangladesh, China and Pakistan. Since 2004, more than 80 per cent of end-of-life vessels of 500 GT and above have been scrapped on tidal beaches in South Asia.
Ships, in particular those built before 1980, contain large amounts of toxic and hazardous substances and materials which may cause death or illness to human beings and produce long term adverse effects on the natural environment. Some of the Hazardous exposure associated with shipbreaking are-
Asbestos: Asbestos is a highly toxic substance that has been banned or strictly restricted for health or environmental reasons by a number of states. At shipbreaking yards in South Asia, workers often remove insulating materials containing asbestos with their bare hands. Prolonged exposure to asbestos dusts and fibres may lead to slow-progressing but fatal diseases, which include asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma. These diseases may not become apparent until many years after exposure to asbestos. Facility must ensure that workers are not exposed to airborne asbestos concentrations in excess of the Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL). The PEL of asbestos is 0.1 fibre per cubic centimeter (f/cc) of air averaged over an eight hour work shift.
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs): These are persistent organic pollutants that were widely used in the ship industry for their insulating properties. They persist in the environment for long periods, gradually accumulate in the fatty tissue of living organisms, and can cause cancer, birth defects and reproductive and neurological damage. When heated, PCBs release dioxin and furan, two toxic chemicals which are unintentional by-products of most forms of combustion and are known to be carcinogens. PEL of PCB is 1.0 mg/m3 of workplace air over an 8-hour work shift.
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC): Lots of equipment and materials on ships are made of PVC. PVC products pose serious threat to human health and the environment at every stage of their existence. PVC waste introduces hazardous chemicals into groundwater when buried, and releases dioxin emissions and carbon monoxide into the air when burned. PVC has been known to cause several serious diseases, including cancer and kidney damage, and may interfere with the reproductive and neurological systems.
Heavy metals: Lead, mercury, arsenic or cadmium may be found in paints, coatings and electrical equipment. These parts are often dumped or burnt on the beaches where ships are dismantled, adversely affecting both human health and the environment. Heavy metals build up inside living organisms, and may lead to severe long-term effects, including cancer and damage to the nervous, digestive, reproductive and respiratory systems. Permissible Exposure Limit are-Lead (Pb) 30µg/m3 of air, averaged over an 8 hour period, Mercury (Hg) 0.1 mg/m3, Arsenic (As) no more than 10 µg /m3 and Cadmium (Cd) 2.5µg/m3.
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs): The health hazard from PAHs comes from directly inhaling fumes during torch cutting, smouldering of paints and burning of waste. Long-term exposure to PAHs may cause malignant tumours. At work place, PEL of PAHs is 0.2 mg/m3.
Organotins: The most widely-used organotin, Tributyltin (TBT), has been used in anti-fouling paints, and is considered as one of the most toxic compounds for aquatic ecosystems. Organotin compounds can damage human health even in small doses. In South Asian shipbreaking yards, workers usually remove TBT containing paints with no skin, eye or lung protections, which are mandatory in several countries in order to protect workers from exposure to organotin compounds. PEL of Tributyltin (TBT) is 0.1 mg/m3.
Oil and sludge: Oil residues and sludge are spilled and mixed with soil and water on the beach, poisoning marine organisms and other forms of life (birds, fish, plants, etc.). The primary danger to workers handling oil and fuel on ship is that of fire and explosion. Other exposure routes for the hazardous components in oils and fuels are inhalation and consumption of contaminated fish and water, which also threaten communities living in proximity of the yards.
Bilge water: It is usually heavily contaminated with oil and cargo residues, in addition to other pollutants (such as inorganic salts and heavy metals). During dismantling activities, bilge water is often released to the environment directly or by lack of containment during transfer operations. When released into the environment, it may cause widespread pollution of water and coastal areas, and adversely affect human beings through the consumption of contaminated water and fish.
Ballast water: It may contain pollutants, such as residual fuel, cargo hold residues, oil and grease, hydrocarbons and heavy metals. In addition to the pollution of water and coastal areas caused by the contaminants contained in it, the discharge of ballast water may cause the introduction of alien species which threaten the ecological balance of the surrounding sea and thereby represent a direct threat to biodiversity. Ballast water can also carry viruses and bacteria that may cause epidemics.
Freon: Commonly found in refrigeration systems this, if released, could evaporate rapidly to create atmosphere immediately dangerous to life or health.
Halon and carbon dioxide: Used in fire suppression systems, if released into spaces, these can create atmosphere immediately dangerous to life or health.
Fire: It may be originated from ignited insulation, matting, lagging, and residual fuel; and from lubricants and other flammable liquids.
Excess noise: Noise is associated with grinding, hammering, metal cutting, and other activities. Elevated noise level can cause hearing impairment, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, annoyance and sleep disturbance. At work place the PEL of noise is 90 dB(A) over an 8 hour workday.
In many shipbreaking yards in south Asia, workers are not provided with personal protective equipment (PPE), such as skin, eye or lung protection. Appropriate PPE for working in specialized areas, such as respiratory protective equipment for work in conditions where there is a risk of oxygen deficiency, is also generally not available. There is usually no equipment for machine safety, fire safety, chemical safety and water safety, and when such equipment exist, these poorly maintained. With a few exceptions, the vast majority of workers do not receive any information on the hazards or risks to health and safety, nor do they receive any training on how to minimise risks to health and safety at work.
According to media reports, more than 400 workers were killed and 6,000 seriously injured between 1985 and 2005 in Bangladesh, but NGOs estimate that at least 1,000 people have died in Chittagong due to accidents over the last decades. According to official figures, there were 434 incidents at the Alang shipbreaking yard(India) between 1996 and 2003, killing 209 workers. A medical study submitted to the Indian Supreme Court in 2006 concluded that 16 per cent of the workforce handling asbestos in Alang showed symptoms of asbestosis, and was therefore at serious risk of developing mesothelioma in future.
Improper storage and disposal of scrap metal and waste contaminate the soil and groundwater resources, causing acute and long-term pollution. In addition, the release of ozone-depleting gases from cooling systems contributes to worldwide climate change problems.
Most of the shipbreaking yards of South Asian countries do not have any containment to prevent pollution of soil, air, marine and freshwater resources, nor the technology needed to ensure the environmentally safe management and disposal of hazardous waste and materials.
Little work has been carried out to assess the environmental impact of shipbreaking. A study commissioned by the Gujarat Maritime Board in 2005 only found “low” to “moderate” levels of hazardous substances in soil and sediment samples. However, other studies carried out at various shipbreaking yards found high levels of contamination of coastal soil, seawater and drinking water sources, negatively affecting the marine ecosystem and the livelihood of local communities. A recent report published by the United Nations Environment Programme(UNEP) included shipbreaking industries in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan among the major land-based sources of marine pollution in the South Asian Seas region.
The writer is an agriculturalist and environmentalist. Email: asayedmas@yahoo.com
Original article on The Daily Star
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]]>The decision was taken at a high level meeting on ship breaking and ship recycling with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair at her office.
The prime minister said the ship breaking sector has been identified as a separate industry considering its huge potentials and economic involvement.
She, however, cautioned that the authorities concerned will have to be careful so that the ship breaking industry does not cause any harm to the environment.
“We have to protect our environment at any cost,” Hasina said.
The premier also asked all individuals and institutions involved in the ship breaking industry to abide by conventions and laws about environmental impacts of the ship breaking.
“Laws and conventions regarding the ship breaking and environmental issues must be followed to protect natural environment,” she said.
The prime minister also directed the authorities concerned to bring the ship breaking yards in a disciplined and well organised system.
Ship breaking industry here and there causes serious threats to environment as well as lands of the country, she said.
“Our agricultural lands and coastal forests are inevitable parts of our food security and environment. We must ensure proper utilisation of our lands,” she said.
The meeting also observed that after the declaration of the ship breaking sector as an industry, this industry will advance much and help reduce cost of rods to a great extent.
Finance Minister AMA Muhith, Law Minister Barrister Shafique Ahmed, State Minister for Environment and Forest Hasan Mahmud, PM’s Adviser HT Imam, Principal Secretary to PM MA Karim and PMO Secretary Mollah Waheeduzzaman were, among others, present.
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]]>The bench of Justice AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury and Justice Sheikh Md Zakir Hossain passed the order suo moto after Tuesday’s explosion at a ship-breaking yard in Chittagong that killed four people.
The court asked the authorities concerned to relocate the ship which exploded to a secure place and to keep the ships, already imported for breaking, in such places so that they can be relocated at a short notice, and the officials concerned of customs and port authority can easily visit them.
It also ordered no unloading of materials from such ships until further order.
It ordered the Chittagong Port Authority chairman to institute a committee with three expert officials in seven days to investigate the reasons behind Tuesday’s incident.
The committee will need to investigate whether there was lack of safety measures or any violation of the court’s earlier order regarding the scrapping of ships.
The committee was also asked to investigate what measures had been taken to prevent such accidents in future and whether any negligent person had been brought to book or the victims were compensated.
The court also issued a rule asking the ship-breaking yard owner, Master Abul Kashem, also vice-president of the Ship Breakers Owners Association, to explain in two weeks why he should not be punished on charges of contempt of court for breaking ships at his shipyard despite the restrictions imposed by the court.
The court ordered him to appear before it on January 28 for the explanation.
The court passed the orders after the news being published by national daily newspapers on Wednesday on Tuesday’s incident.
‘This court is not against the import and breaking of ships but the ships for scrapping have to be free from any risk for health and security,’ the court said.
In another order, the same bench, however, issued a rule asking the government to explain in two weeks why it should not be directed to allow four imported ships, now in the outer anchorage in Chittagong, to enter the inner anchor.
The court issued the rule after hearing four writ petitions filed by three ship-breaking companies earlier this month.
The Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers’ Association has opposed the petitions, saying that the four ships were not safe as they have no pre-cleaning and environmental clearance certificates.
Rokanuddin Mahmud and Anisul Haq appeared for ship breakers while Syeda Rizwana Hasan and Iqbal Kabir Liton stood for BELA.
The same court on December 15, 2010 ordered import of no ship for scrapping till the framing of necessary rules on ship-breaking in line with the directives it issued on March 17, 2009.
The bench had also given the government three more months to frame the rules.
It had also reprimanded the government for not framing the rules in violation of a verdict delivered by the High Court bench of Justice M Imman Ali and Justice Sheikh Abdul Awal on March 17, 2009.
No ship meant for scrapping will enter the Bangladesh territory till the framing of the rules as the government has failed to frame the rules in 23 months, it said.
In the verdict, the court had asked the government to frame the rules in three months based on the judgement that required consideration of six laws — the Basel Convention 1989, Environment Conservation Act 1995, Environment Conservation Rules 1997, Bangladesh Labour Act 2006, Territorial Waters and Maritime Zones Acts 1974 and Marine Fisheries Ordinance 1983.
On December 15, 2010, the court ordered the government to report on the compliance of the verdict and the December 15 directives to the court in three months.
It directed the government to institute a committee to ensure the execution of the court orders to be passed from time to time in this regard and to issue clearance certificates or no objection certificates for the import of ships for scrapping.
Merely a committee composed of bureaucrats cannot stop the entry of hazardous ships into the Bangladesh territory, frequent accidents causing deaths of workers at ship-breaking yards and damage to the environment and ecology, the court observed.
It ordered institution of the committee with experts concerned, including experts in nuclear science, medical science, chemistry and maritime issues and environmentalists, journalists, labour leaders and rights activists.
Before allowing import and scrapping of any vessels, no damage to the environment and ecology and safety, security, health and rights of the labourers concerned must be ensured, the court ordered.
The court passed the orders after hearing a petition filed by the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers’ Association, also petitioner of the writ petition in which the March 2009 verdict was given.
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