Ship Breaking in Bangladesh
News
Another worker dies at Ctg scrapyard: total 7 in 8 days!
15th Oct, 2009: This is turning out to be a nightmare for the shipbreakers. A total of 7 workers died in just 8 days!! Another worker dies at Chittagong scrapyard in Sitakunda in today, a day after three workers died from poisonous gas at a scrapyard on
Tuesday. The deceased was identified as *Jahangir Alam, 28*, son of Md Aziz Miah of Lakhanpur in Rangpur. Jahangir died immediately after a large iron-plate fell on him at 12:30 pm while working at Habib Steel yard in Bhatiari of Shitakundu, witnesses said. He was taken to Chittagong Medical College Hospital where the doctors declared him dead.
15 Thousand Trees cut in three nights!
An amount of 15 thousand trees are, of 40 acre land, cut to build Shipbreaking yards in Sitakund coastal area near Shonaichori Union by some Shipbreakers that turns the coastal dam in a severe danger to be collapsed. All the trees are cut in last three nights engaging some 400 people. The local Police have not taken an urgent action regarding this while the department of Forestry intended to file cases against this action. The police said because of High Court order to not make any objection for making shipyards; they are unable to take any action. For the same reason the local government authority also has not gone for any step. Source Daily Prothom Alo Read more.
Shame: Misleading Propaganda of the Ship Breakers
We note with deep concern the recent incidences of “labour protests” (as reported in some dailies) in the Sitakund ship breaking yard that, we hold, have been artificially created by the ship breakers by misleading the innocent workers to gain government and press sympathy in ultimately evading legal sanction against them as imposed by the Supreme Court in a recent landmark judgment. Read more
Shipbreaking workers are always victim! It’s a Shame that the shipbreakers are influencing workers against BELA and YPSA, the organizations who are working for the safety of these for last 10 years here in Bangladesh. The photo was published in The Daily Star on 22 March. Read the newspaper report
Download Bangla press release doc 35.5 kb
World Environment Day observed
YPSA Participated in the Rally on World Environment Day, 5th June 09 (Friday), which jointly Organised by Department of Environment, local NGOs, Civil Society groups, Schools and different forums of Chittagong where Hundreds of People joined very enthusiastically.
High Court ordered to close shipbreaking yards who don't have Environmental Clearance Certificate
"The rule of High court is one of the great news in last five decades of shipbreaking controversy in Bangladesh. None of shipbreaking yard has the Environment Clearance Certificate. The Department of Environment should make the rule to ensure Pre-cleaning of all ships before its transboundary movement to Bangladesh for dismantling. All the ship yards should have environment friendly ship dismantling plan and facilities. Above all, Shipbreaking should be taken away from the Beach, it should operate in contained yards or dry -dock yards." says Muhammed Ali Shahin, Focal Person, Shipbreaking Campaign, YPSA. Please see the news article at
The Daily Star
Prothom Alo
Report on Child labour in Shipbreaking launched
The report titled ‘Shishurao Jahaj Vhangge’ the Bengali version of ‘Childbreaking Yards: Child labour in the ship recycling industry in Bangladesh’ was released at a function at the Dhaka Reporters Unity on 28 January
YPSA Official represented at the event of European Parliament
The NGO Platform on Shipbreaking arranged an event co-sponsored by European Parliamentarian (MEP) Mr. Robert Evans in the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium on 16 September 2008, afternoon. The award-winning documentary Ironeaters on the social situation of the shipbreaking workers in Chittagong, Bangladesh screened at the beginning of the session. The screening was followed by a panel debate where YPSA's Focal Person for SHipbreaking Campaign Mr. Md. Ali Shahin represented civil society. Other panelists were director of Ironeaters Mr. Shaheen Dill-Riaz, European Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas and . In the discussion Mr. Shahin presented the information of the new report to all. The event brought together European and international stakeholders from government, industry and NGOs to discuss how the EU can achieve the goal of environmentally sound and safe shipbreaking. It was important that YPSA represented there to represent the Bangladeshi NGOs and introduced the findings of the child labour report.The new report on the Child labour of Shipbreaking ('Childbreaking Yards') is launched on 16 the September'08 at the European Parliament through a Press Conference. However, it can be mentioned here that the 'Childbreaking Yards' report is the second international unique publication, on shipbreaking, of YPSA with two other international organisations like FIDH and NGO Platform.
Victory Declared as Major Toxic Ship Exporter Forced to Pay Penalties by EPA
Activists Warn of Future Exports for Dumping on South Asian Beaches without Government Coordination BAN Press Release Read more
Ship-breaking rules should be tightened
The European Commission has begun a process that it hopes will, within three years, limit the dangers posed to ship-breakers working, typically, on the beaches of south Asia. Report of European Voice Read more
Contempt of Court
Taka One Luc Fined or Jail
Violation of Court order to dismantle toxic ship.
The importer, owner of a shipbreaking yard Madina Enterprise, of the toxic ship named MT Enterprise is fined, tk. One Luc, because of not following the Court's injunction to not break the ship in his yard by a division bench of the High Court of Bangladesh. It is informed to the Deputy Commissioner of Chittagong to collect the money within seven days. The court ordered for seven days imprisonment, if the owner of Madina Enterprise failed to pay the amount.
Read more
The government had earlier banned the New Atlantia after a Bangladeshi ship-breaking company, Madina Enterprise, imported it under the false name of MT Enterprise from Singapore. The New Atlantia was described by Green Peace as ‘hazardous’ in its global list of toxic ships. Go to link
May Day observed
The Shipbreaking workers observed May Day with a call to stop threat to their life in the shipbreaking yards. They have arranged Human Chain and Rally demanding their basic rights along with along with the people from all walks of life. The have also demanded three basic things to be ensured. Those are: safety in the shipbreaking yards, basic rights according to the existing legislation and environment friendly shipbreaking . Besides that the workers also demanded about ensuring the compensation of the dead workers who recently killed after an accident occurred in the shipyard. They made a big human chain in front of the Chittagong Press Club and started to walk, with banners and festoons, in all the main centers of Chitagong. YPSA has facilitated the whole program of the workers. Muhamed Ali Shahin, officials of YPSA, said the shipbreaking workers were working in the shipyards even on the May Day. Because there is no system of leave with pay. The only unwritten rule is no work, no pay. This indicates the ignorance of government and owners to the shipbreaking workers.
WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY OBSERVED
KICK THE HABIT! TOWARDS A LOW CARBON ECONOMY
A rally of at least 1700 people was organized on the environment day where people from all sphere of life were joined demanding for a low carbon economy and stop pollution in the shipbreaking yards. Click for details
Fun of World Environment day’08
`KICK THE HABIT! TOWARDS A LOW CARBON ECONOMY”- the slogan of this year World Environment day written in the T-shirt distributed by Bangladesh Ship Breaker’s Association (BSBA) on the World Environment Day 08. It was criticized that BSBA does not know the meaning of this year slogan of WED’08. Go to Environmental pollution