Dhaka is taking steps to regulate its sprawling shipbreaking industry, including dishing out fines and prison sentences for companies found to not be following the correct procedures.
The Bangladesh Ship Recycling Bill, 2015 is being discussed at the moment in the capital. It will see the setting up of a Bangladesh Ship Recycling Biard to monitor the sector. The prime minister has approved the bill in principle. It will soon go before parliament.
Cabinet secretary Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan said the law’s aim was to address occupational health hazards of the industry’s huge workforce, ensure safe working conditions, better waste management, and protect the coastal environment.
Bangladesh is the world’s second largest ship breaking nation – the industry employs tens of thousands of people along its southern coast, often working in appalling conditions.
