Page 107: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (November 2015)

The NGO Shipbreaking Platform is a and just ship recycling. Heidegger cited and industry transparency, and progres- hipowners stand to global coalition of environmental, hu- its main achievements as putting ship re- sive shipowners and cargo-owners now recoup a substantial man and labor rights NGOs seeking to cycling on the international agenda, with demanding clean and safe recycling.

amount of their in- prevent dirty and dangerous shipbreak- international and EU legislation now in “More and more end-of-life vessels are

S vestment by selling ing practices and promoting clean, safe place, greater awareness of the issues now being recycled, a record number of ships for recycling, and the cheaper the recycling pro- cess, the more they make on steel.

But bad breaking practices can cost more than just money and the

VANUATU FLAG - THE LEADING OFFSHORE shipping industry still has major ethical, moral, environmental and

SHIPPING REGISTRY publicity issues to resolve when it comes to ship recycling. A recent

IMMEDIASEA Shipping Debate

Forum gave the watchdogs and the watched alike an opportunity

WORLD WIDE OFFICES to promote responsible practices as well as highlight persisting problems and the need for further

PORT VILA, NEW YORK, TOKYO, ATHENS, change.

LONDON, BANGKOK, SHANGHAI, SINGAPORE, “In the beaching yards of Bangladesh, there is extensive pollution and no haz-

HONG KONG, PUSAN AND ISTANBUL ardous waste management. Workers ex- perience poor working and living con- ditions and fatal accidents are a regular occurrence. Children and adolescents (While at the Workboat Show, come by and visit with us at Booth 711) make up about one-? fth of the work- force, which is exposed to a high risk of cancer and occupational diseases.

Phone: (212) 425-9600 Email: [email protected]

Another problem is the sheer scale of

Fax: (212) 425-9652 www.vanuatumaritimeships.com the task at hand, work being completed without heavy lifting equipment, struc- tural supports or scaffolding, and there being virtually no mechanization. Dan- gerous conditions and practices also in- clude poor downstream waste manage- ment, and the impossibility of containing pollutants on a tidal beach. There have been no substantial improvements on the ground.”

This is how Patrizia Heidegger, Execu- tive Director of the NGO Shipbreaking

Platform, described Bangladeshi ship re- cycling conditions.

“The extent of workers injuries points out once again the total disregard on the employers’ part for workers’ safety,” she said. “Ship-breaking yards in Chittagong are notorious for terrible work condi- tions and frequent accidents. Just this year, ? ve workers have been killed in ac- cidents and many have been severely in- jured at various shipyards in the district. “It is unacceptable that an industry as huge and risk-prone as ship-breaking should still be in such a primitive state

MARINE HOISTS US HOISTS CORPORATION has that allows these horrible accidents to teamed up with Boat Lift of La Morra,

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onstrated by employers violate basic labor laws that make it mandatory for workplaces to maintain minimum safety US HOISTS CORPORATION Calverton, NY USA 631 472 3030 USHoists.com standards.” www.marinelink.com 107

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