A controversial industry says it is cleaning up its act.
Activists still want it shut
IN
THE 1960s the MD Alpine, a Greek ship, washed up on a beach in Chittagong.
Locals scurried out to the vessel and pulled off what they could. A cheap and
resilient labour force, coupled with flat beaches for intentional strandings,
ushered in the start of a new industry for Bangladesh: dismantling the great
hulks of the sea and selling their steel for scrap.
At
its height in 2008 Bangladesh’s ship-breaking industry accounted for half of
all ships scrapped in the world, according to IHS, a consultancy. Today the
country accounts for around a fifth.
In
these years Bangladeshi ship breakers found themselves at the forefront of
criticism as NGOs and pressure groups exposed some of the worst practices
causing environmental and human harm. These included high health risks due to
injuries, noxious fumes and the handling of asbestos. Critics say one way in
which Bangladesh competes on cost is that poor workers are unlikely to file
claims for accidents or bad health. Another advantage is (or was) the use of
child labour.
In
2009 the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA), a public-advocacy
group, convinced the Supreme Court to ban all ship recycling not meeting
certain environmental standards. The court’s decision meant that by 2010 the
ship-breaking industry had come to a halt. Zahirul Islam of PHP, a local
manufacturer with a big ship-breaking division (the industry prefers to call it
ship recycling), says that for 14 months the company was unable to import a
single vessel for breaking.
Knock-on
effects hurt the wider economy. A World Bank study estimated that ship breaking
employed over 200,000 in Bangladesh. Many of the jobs were subsequently lost. And
domestic steel prices rose sharply. Half of all Bangladesh’s steel comes from
breaking ships.
Under
pressure from the ship breakers, Bangladesh’s prime minister, Sheikh Hasina,
has since relaxed the regulations. Hefzatur Rahman, president of the Bangladesh
Ship Breakers Association, believes this has saved the industry. From just a
score of vessels scrapped in the main part of Chittagong two years ago, about
150 were broken up in 2011.
Greens
are not happy and want the ban reimposed. Delphine Reuter of the Shipbreaking
Platform, an NGO in Brussels, describes ship recycling as “close to slavery”.
It and BELA are leading the call for more regulation. That bothers
international shipping firms and ship brokers, which argue that Bangladeshi
ship breakers have cleaned up their act.
At
the International Maritime Organisation, the UN agency responsible for curbing
shipping pollution and ensuring safety, the head of pollution prevention, Nikos
Mikelis, says environmentalists present Bangladesh with a false choice. “They
say they are happy to have the industry, but not on the beaches. Where do they
want it? In the mountains?”
Source: Economist.
27 October 2012
http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21565265-controversial-industry-says-it-cleaning-up-its-act-activists-still-want-it-shut-hard-break
No comments:
Post a Comment