Shipbreaking is the process of dismantling an obsolete vessel’s structure for scrapping or disposal. Conducted on a dismantling yard, it involves a wide range of activities. From removing all the gear and equipment that are on the ships to cutting down and recycling the ship’s infrastructure. Shipbreaking is a challenging process, due to the structural complexity of the ships and the environmental, safety and health issues involved . Due to cheaper labour costs and fewer health and safety regulations that have to be followed, the developing world hosts the vast majority of ship breaking efforts.

SAVE THE DATE – OPENING OF THE EXHIBITION : Avenue Marnix 22, 1000 Brussels

Opening of the exhibition Chittagong Blues & The shipbreakers: Wednesday 29 May 2013 – from 6 :00PM

15 workers were killed in 2012

candle ceremony

At least 15 workers died in 2012 on or around end-of-life ships that were beached in Bangladesh for breaking, according to the available information. Every year, shipbreaking workers in Chittagong, Bangladesh, honour the people who died while working on the dismantling of end-of-life ships by holding a candle ceremony attended by the workers, their families, trade unions and local NGOs. Read more...

We all know how ships are born, how majestic vessels are nudged into the ocean with a bottle of champagne. But few of us know how they die. And hundreds of ships meet their death every year. From five-star ocean liners, to grubby freighters, literally dumped with all their steel, their asbestos, their toxins on the beaches of some the poorest countries in the world, countries like Bangladesh. You can't really believe how bad it is here, until you see it. It could be as close as you'll get to hell on earth, with the smoke, the fumes, and the heat.
Bob Simon, CBS News, on 60 Minutes

Of Ships and Men by CAMERON CONAWAY

“NGOs and media have been campaigning for so many years on this shipbreaking issue and they’ve never urged an end to the industry. They simply urged for national and international labor and environmental laws to be respected and enforced. If somebody is saying that NGOs want to stop shipbreaking then we have to assume that the yard owners and international players of shipbreaking want to avoid the compliance issues by blaming NGOs." Read more on The Good Men Project.

Death Trap!

15 workers were killed in 2012 Details...

90 workers died in last 7 years 9 months, more than one worker died on an average per month at the shipbreaking yards in Bangladesh. Details...

A cartoon from the Daily Star on government vs shipbreakers A Two Day VisaSayeda Rezwana Hasan The Goldman Environmental Prize
Child breaking Yard cover pageEnd of life ship cover pageImpact Costal Zone cover pageBaseline survey cover page

NGO Platform on SHipbreaking Bangladesh Ship Breakers Association (BSBA)

Winner Manthan Award South Asia National Digital Innovation Award

Support Us

Logo of YPSAMake a donation From 1997 YPSA tries to obtain improved working conditions at ship breaking yards of Chittagong, Bangladesh. YPSA organized social campaign program to raise the voice of the mass people about ensuring of the workers’ rights and save the environment and ecology from the pollution that generated from the unsafe and uncontrolled ship breaking practices. Read more