13 July 2013

Ship recycling board in the offing:

Bangladesh is the world's second largest ship breaker with around 25% of the world’s recycling capacity and employs over 200,000 people
 
The government is set to establish ship recycling board to develop ship building and shipbreaking industry in the country.
 
For making the process faster, a law to set up ship recycling board is in the final stage of approval of the government, Industries Minister Dilip Barua told at a function in the capital on Wednesday.
 
“The draft of the law has already been prepared based on the views and opinions of the stakeholders and experts.”
 
The minister said the law will be helpful in attaining the target of establishing green ship building and ship recycling industry through formation of a board.
 
“We want green industrilisation with zero risk as well as zero pollution to translate the vision set in the charter of change into reality,” he said.
 
The government has already formulated shipbreaking and ship recycling rules-2011, he added.
 
At present, Bangladesh is the second largest shipbreaker of the world with around 25% of the world’s recycling capacity and the industry employs over 200,000 people, according to the ministry.
 
Speaking at a roundtable on “Promoting Sustainable Finance in Ship Recycling Industry in Bangladesh,” the minister said this event would be able to draw a meaningful roadmap with a view to establishing desired ship recycling industrial sector in line with the spirit of National Industrial Policy 2010.
 
Ship building, breaking and recycling is a profitable industry in Bangladesh and our Chittagong shipbreaking zone is becoming the hub of shipbreaking industries gradually, he said.
 
He said ship breaking activities are a source of persistent organic pollutants. “So, there is environmental concern attached to it. And then there is issue of safety of people employed in the industry.”
 
He said we are giving more thrust on the establishment of knowledge based hi-tech industries and our vision is to make an industrialised Digital Bangladesh by 2021.
 
To materialise our dream into reality, Bangladesh has been pursuing a liberal investment and industrial policy for foreign investors with huge attractive incentive package, he said.
 
Source: Dhaka tribune. 20 June

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