Safe recycling of ships stressed
The
International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has insisted on Bangladesh to ratify
the Hong Kong (HK) international convention to help ensure safe and
environmentally sound recycling of ships.
IMO
Secretary General Koji Sekimizu, while visiting Bangladesh during June 24-28,
made the call to the Bangladesh authority for sustainable development of ship recycling
sector and to turn it into a green industry.
"Since
Bangladesh is in a leading position in ship recycling sector, it needs to
ensure safety of workers and also be environment friendly. Ratifying the Hong
Kong international convention and following its guidelines will help Bangladesh
to make the industry safe for both employees and environment," Mr Sekimizu
was quoted as saying.
The
IMO Secretary General also assured Bangladesh of providing necessary supports
to develop ship recycling industry in line with the Hong Kong convention.
While
visiting ship recycling yards in Sitakunda upazila in Chittagong district, Mr
Sekimizu praised Bangladesh for large investment in this sector. But he
emphasised the need for following safety measures and make the industry
environment friendly for its sustainability.
The
convention was adopted at a diplomatic conference in Hong Kong in May 2009. The
convention is aimed at ensuring that ships, when recycled after reaching the
end of their operational capability, do not pose any unnecessary risk to human
health and safety or to the environment.
The
convention intends to address all the issues in ship recycling, including the
fact that ships sold for scrapping may contain environmentally hazardous
substances such as asbestos, heavy metals, hydrocarbons, ozone-depleting
substances and others.
It
will address concerns about working and environmental conditions in many of the
world's ship recycling facilities.
A
senior Shipping Ministry official told the FE Bangladesh so far ratified 27
conventions linked to maritime sector. "Bangladesh is also considering
ratification of the Hong Kong convention for the sake of the country's growing
ship recycling industry."
According
to Muhammad Ali Shahin, Bangladesh coordinator of NGO Shipbreaking Platform, in
2012 some 15 workers died in Bangladesh's shipbreaking yards while 12 were
killed in 2010.
In
recent years, the increased number of deadly incidents in shipbreaking industry
has created massive outcry both at home and abroad. In 2011, the government
kept closed the shipbreaking yards for a few months following a series of
deadly accidents there.
Every
year some 70 per cent of total ships sold for breaking end up in South Asian
coasts including Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. The poorly trained shipbreaking
workers are exposed to toxic fumes, risk of falling from ship, being crushed by
a falling plate, and being burnt alive in fire incidents.
Bangladesh
has prepared Ship-breaking and Ship Recycling Rules 2011 which is now waiting
for enactment by the parliament. Industries Minister Dilip Barua a few months
back expressed the hope that enactment of the law would help create a safe
environment for the sector.
Source: the financial express. By Syful Islam. 29
June 2013.
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