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New figures show that India received the most
vessels at its shipbreaking yards in 2017, with Greece the biggest culprit of
unethical dumping, according to the NGO Shipbreaking Platform.
According to new data from the platform,
which works to raise awareness and prevent the human rights abuses in the
market, 835 large ocean-going commercial vessels were sold to the scrap yards
in 2017.
It found that 543 were broken down – by hand
– on the tidal beaches of Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.
This figure amounts to 80.3% of all tonnage
dismantled globally.
Ingvild Jenssen, Founder and Director of the
NGO Shipbreaking Platform, said: “The figures of 2017 are a sad testimony of
the shipping industry’s unwillingness to act responsibly.
“The reality is that yards with
infrastructure fit for the heavy and hazardous industry that ship recycling is,
and that can ensure safe working conditions and containment of pollutants, are
not being used by ship owners.
“It is particularly shameful that so many
European shipping companies scrap their vessels on beaches.
“Their obvious lack of interest to ensure
that shipbreaking workers around the world enjoy best available technologies,
and that the environment is equally protected everywhere, clearly calls for
additional pressure from authorities, shipping clients and financers.”
Shipbreaking leads to workers – often
migrants and some of them children – losing their life or suffering from
injuries caused by fires, falling steel plates and the general unsafe working
conditions.
There are also occupational diseases due to
exposure to toxic fumes and materials.
The industry also has environmental impacts
on coastal ecosystems, and the local communities depending on them, which face
exposure to toxic spills and various pollutants leaking into the environment
due to the dismantling of vessels on beaches.
In its announcement, NGO Shipbreaking
Platform stated: “Despite the terrible accident that shook the international
shipbreaking community in 2016, no lesson has been learned in Pakistan.
“In 2017, at least 10 workers lost their
lives at the shipbreaking yards on the beach of Gadani.
“The Platform documented 15 deaths in the
Bangladeshi yards last year, where also at least another 22 workers were
seriously injured.
“Whilst international and local NGOs were
repeatedly denied access to the Indian shipbreaking yards, the Platform was
informed of at least eight fatal accidents in Alang in 2017.”
All vessels sold to the beaching yards pass
through the hands of scrap dealers known as cash buyers.
By doing this, ship owners attempt to shield
themselves from responsibility, and are paid upfront the highest market price
in cash for their end-of-life vessels by the dealers.
To reduce costs and to exploit the loopholes
in international legislation, cash buyers will change a vessel’s flag to one of
the typical last-voyage flags of convenience, such as Comoros, Palau and St
Kitts and Nevis.
Cash buyers will also register the vessel
under a new name and a new post box company, rendering it very difficult for
authorities to trace and hold cash buyers and ship owners accountable for
illicit business practices.
Carlsson added: “Ship-owning companies that
stand by their corporate social responsibility directly sign contracts with
ship recycling facilities they have inspected and found adequate.
“Choosing to sell a ship to a facility which
is on the EU list of approved yards is the easiest way for a ship owner to be
assured that there has been a quality check.
“Fortunately, it is becoming increasingly
difficult for ship owners to simply blame the cash buyer: investors and
authorities are expecting ship owners to control the choice of the recycling
yard, and expect that choice to be a yard that does not endanger workers and
the environment.”
Source: port
technology. 21 February 2018
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