With the death toll at Bangladesh’s shipbreaking yards showing no sign of abating, a local trade union has presented the government with an urgent 10-point demand to improve safety in what is the most dangerous shipping-related profession on the planet.
The demands include investigating shipbreaking accidents and holding the yard owner accountable for their negligence, a set compensation for each deceased or injured worker and making safety gear mandatory at all yards and ensuring procedures are in place to make sure all flammable material is removed from vessels before they are taken apart.
More than 70 workers have died at Bangladeshi shipbreaking yards over the last three years, a figure that is even higher in Pakistan,
For making ship recycling safer a whole set of various measures is required. It is good to see that pressure for improvements is there and with proper understanding, planning, knowledge and with Hong Kong Convention as basis, the overall stuation could be improved significantly.