The remains of the graveyard that the biggest ships in the world go to when they die are scattered along the coastlines of South Asia.
Shipbreakers are dismantling them under dangerous conditions. Apocalyptic images of gutted 100,000 ton hulls lie awash in tidal flats.
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India, Pakistan and Bangladesh have been identified as the three main destinations for this trade which is a source of international concern due to human rights violations.
Local firms are tearing apart giant vessels, including cruise ships and bulk carriers.
Sun’s investigation of 2019 found that over 225,000 people were exploited or forced to perform dangerous work.
The youngest of these workers was eight years old.
Gaddani and Alang (Chattogram) are among the worst shipyards.
In the past three months, more than 77% of ships were sent to their graves.
A group of activists, the NGO Shipbreaking Platform (advocacy), has closely monitored developments in this situation.
Ingvild JENSEN, Central Recorder’s founder and director, described the sites as ‘cemeteries for ships and people’.
She said: “Vessels are built, maintained and repaired in dry-docks, that is also where they should be dismantled.
“Taking massive ships apart on tidal beaches as done in South Asia would never be allowed in the UK.”
The uniqueness of these vessels makes it a dangerous job.
Accidents can be caused by fire, explosions or heavy objects dropping.
In the past 50 years, thousands men have died due to inadequate training or using primitive equipment.
Workers are said to dismantle each sheet of metal by hand, often with bare hands.
Steel hulls or doors that are thrown down from above can crush them to death.
A Bangladeshi man fell through the hull of a boat in May and died.
However, employers and governments are not transparent enough to report incidents.
Ingvild stated: “No owner of a ship can say that they are unaware of the conditions in the yards. Yet, many continue to sell to these yards at the lowest prices to maximize their profits.
The harm that beaching causes is real.
Workers are exposed to toxic substances and their health is at risk. Coastal ecosystems have been devastated.
The ship owners are responsible for selling to recyclers who care about their employees and the environment.
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Burnt, crushed and roasted corpses
Since 2019, EU law requires all ships registered to an EU nation must be scrapped in approved recycling shipyards – banning the use of the yards in the three notoriously dangerous nations.
But some people are using loopholes in order to avoid it, according to campaigners.
Muhammed A. Shahin is a programme officer with Young Power in Social Action in Bangladesh. He said that in the past 20 years, more than 1000 workers had died.
After watching the dead bodies we were tired.
Environmental and Human Rights Justice is what we want.
The average ship stays in service between 25 and 30 years.
Minor nations often buy and refit aging British and European passenger ships. They then rename them and introduce the ship to the oceans with a new name.
To avoid directly selling to illegal shipyards, most other British ships – such as cargo ships and tankers – are simply sold to middlemen for the highest bid.
Cash buyers and scrap dealers are intrinsically linked with unapproved yards.
They often change the ships’ flags and register them under new names in a bid to circumnavigate international maritime laws.
Central Recorder quoted an investigator from Europe who has worked with governments, unions and shipping firms around the globe to improve standards: “There is still much more work that needs doing.”
“It’s still too easy for cash-hungry British and European shipping owners to work around the rules.
“But it’s not enough to call for a complete boycott of shipyards in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan as thousands of men and their families depend on the work to survive.
It is the responsibility of governments and owners of ships to upgrade their facilities, to provide equipment to save lives and to train and educate all employees.
The cash buyers and middlemen are a blight on the industry until they change.
Why Ships are Broken: Facts
- Shipbreaking is the act of dismantling ships and selling their pieces as scrap.
- 95% of the materials on board a vessel can be sold.
- The lifespan of modern ships is 25-30 years, before they become uneconomical.
- Steel from ships can be reused and recycled after they are broken up.
- Shipbreaking has been rated as one of most dangerous industries in the world.
- In India, Bangladesh China and Pakistan, 225,000 people are employed in the shipbreaking yards. They also provide many other indirect jobs.
- About 50 workers will need three months to dismantle a cargo ship of 40,000 tons.
- Other tools, such as hammers and chisels are too costly.
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