We wonder why a dirty industry is necessary. In a report (2011) prepared for the World Bank (WB), it has been noted: "There are probably few tasks in this world that are as "3D" (dirty, difficult, and dangerous) as shipbreaking.' So it is the same as the biblical reference, necessary evil! And English poet, P.B.Shelley said: 'Government is an evil; it is only the thoughtlessness and vices of men that make it a necessary evil. When all men are good and wise, government will of itself decay.'
It is necessary, for it provides for highly hazardous work for men only. There is still the prevailing social attitude that men have more physical -- may be not the same mental -- strength, than women. Be that as it may, the 25 kilometer coastal stretch of land, from the town of Sitakundu
Shipbreaking is an unregulated trade with huge unaccounted, environmental and human costs. Most countries have banned work on raw untreated tankers. Bangladesh Pakistan and Bangladesh , the study on Ship Breaking and Recycling Industries (SBRI) estimates that dependencies in extended families reach over 500,000; this figure is less for Pakistan
Disused ship, purchased by a yard owner, is procured through bank financing at a rate of 15% interest or more. The owner hopes to make 10% gain over, or profit on, the purchase price and the interest payments, by engaging workers who work on all seven days in 12-hour shifts. There are over 65 large yards, financially controlled by politicians and non-government personnel. Mostly, policing and enforcement of code of practice are minimal. Each yard employs around 700 workers, of whom 50% work with compound risks by night. Be it, day or night, they work without the basic safety equipments, hard hats, gloves, boots and goggols. Workers' insurance like that of a group insurance policy is out of the list of benefits.
Explosions due to gas-related structures and facilities and the threat of steel falling are among the dangers that workers face, besides those of other chemical hazards. According to one estimate, there are around 600 accidents each year and twenty of them result in deaths. The explosion in 2004 killed six workers. A family receives about $300 as death compensation, depending on the compassion of the ship-yard owner. There are labour contractors who supply workers to the yards. The standard wage is about $2.0 equivalent, a lifter earns less than this, and a supervisor, more. The sound management of asbestos, polychlorinated biphenyls, ozone-depleting substances and a range of heave metals is of no concern at the shipbreaking site.
It takes six months to break and then the entire ship is recycled. It leaves oily stains on the beach. Oil from bottom of sumps and bilges is removed and sold as fuel to fire brick. The hull of the ship provides steel requirement, mostly all is melted to make material for the booming construction industry.
The 1989 Basel Convention on the Control of Tran boundary Movements of Hazardous Waste and their Disposal states: 'the responsibility is placed on the flag-carrier, as opposed to shipping companies, allowing the loophole of reassigning ships on their final voyage to be placed under flag of convenience….' This has given rise to contradictory opinions. The non-government organisation (NGO), Ship Breaking Platform that includes BELA and BILS, 2011, has drawn the attention of the government to export of obsolete ships from the western countries into Bangladesh
Simultaneously, the Supreme Court of Bangladesh, in its landmark judgment, pointed out shipbreaking industries' compliance requirement in accordance with international and national laws. All ships, entering Bangladesh
The opinion was divided on the outcome of 2009 Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe & Environmentally-sound Recycling of Ships. A number of relevant issues were discussed and necessary steps, to be adopted by 2015, were placed. Some of the views expressed in this context noted that the content of the convention was taking things backward from the previous status.
The Bangladesh Ship Breaking Association holds the view that shipbreaking industry in the west has lost their business to Japan , Korea, China, Taiwan, Vietnam, India and the Philippines, while the summary of the recent World Bank report states: 'Developed countries that have more knowledge about safe practices (a questionable assertion!) tend to avoid this trade given its irregular nature… (And the dilemma is) How do you regulate a loosely regulated trade run by loosely affiliated networks? It's an interesting global governance problematique…'
Source: The Financial Express. By Farida Shaikh. Monday February 28 2011
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