- The NGO Shipbreaking Platform informs about the shipbreaking industry in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.
- The update focuses specifically on the hidden hazards affecting communities and coastal areas around the shipbreaking yards.
In its latest quarterly report, NGO Shipbreaking Platform informs about the shipbreaking industry in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan, providing an overview of the hazardous materials released during shipbreaking and their impact on human life, communities and the environment.
According to the NGO, unfortunately, in South Asian shipbreaking yards, the absence of proper waste management facilities, inadequate worker training, lack of adequate personal protective equipment (PPE), among other factors, exacerbates the contamination of coastal areas and puts workers and surrounding communities at risk. Examples of some waste materials and their hazardous properties released during the dismantling of obsolete ships are provided in the list below:
Asbestos
It may remain in suspension for a long time. Accumulates in the lungs, causing lung cancer, asbestosis, and mesothelioma. Symptoms may not show up until many years after exposure.
Glass wool
Toxicity similar to asbestos.
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB)
Carcinogenic, bio-accumulative (2). Associated with cancer, liver, neurological, and immune system damage.
Ozone depleting substances (CFCs, HCFCs, etc.)
Environmental pollution.
Organotin compounds (TBT, TPT, TBTO)
Contaminate sea products and have a hazardous effect on human health.
Heavy metal—lead
Damage to the neurological system, hearing, vision, reproductive system, blood vessels, kidneys, and heart, especially affecting children’s physical and neurological development.
Heavy metal—mercury
Toxic and bio-accumulative. Affects the nervous system.
Heavy metal—cadmium
Long-term exposure may result in lung cancer, renal issues, hypertension, and prostatic proliferative lesions.
Oil and fuel (including hydraulic and lubricating oils, engine oil, and grease)
Poisonous through inhalation or consumption of contaminated water or fish. Burning may also result in fire and explosions.
Bilge water and ballast water
May cause lead poisoning, anemia, liver damage, and cancer.
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
May induce cancer, asthma, and impairment to human reproduction. Burning may generate carbon monoxide and highly toxic dioxins. Burial can release chemicals into groundwater.
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs)
Travel over long distances from point sources via air and ocean currents. Possess the potential to accumulate within the food chain.
The release of hazardous materials from shipbreaking activities has caused severe environmental degradation in South Asian coastal regions. The Bay of Bengal in Bangladesh, for example, a crucial center for marine life and home to vast coastal communities, including around 20,000 fishing families who absolutely depend on the availability of fish in the area, is increasingly polluted by various contaminants.
By 2050, the volume of dismantled ships is projected to reach 75–95 million gross tons per year, highlighting the urgent need to properly address the hazards produced by the ship recycling industry. Policymakers, industry stakeholders, and civil society must act to ensure that the economic benefits of recycling decommissioned ships are not achieved at the expense of human lives or environmental health on beaches.
Adopting off-the-beach recycling methods with proper containment of pollutants is essential to uphold a collective commitment to justice, safety, and sustainability. This approach will help protect vulnerable communities and the ecosystems on which they depend, the NGO concludes.
On a more positive note, the shipbreaking industry is expected to make shifts this year as the landmark Hong Kong Convention will enter into force on 26 June. The Hong Kong convention has requirements to facilitate safe and environmentally sound recycling.
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Source: NGO Shipbreaking Platform
