Bangladesh shipyards back in business
Dhaka (AFP) June 13, 2011 – Bangladesh’s vast ship-breaking yards are roaring back into business, after the easing of strict environmental regulations that brought the major industry to a halt for much of 2010. A High Court ruling on March 7 reversed a series of 2010 court verdicts — fought for by environmental activists — that required vessels to be cleared of all hazardous material such as asbestos before being imported for scrap. […] The court decision has allowed the industry to restart the import of scrap vessels and 50 ships are now waiting to be broken at Sitakundu, the country’s southeastern ship-breaking hub. […]
But environmental campaigners fear that no new regulation will ever come into force. “We are scared the government doesn’t want to regulate the industry,” said Rezwana Hossain, head of Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers’ Association. “They are saying that legal obstacles will not be allowed to hamper the expansion of the industry.” […] Mohammad Ali Shaheen, the head of the local chapter of global NGO Platform on Shipbreaking, which opposes the recent High Court ruling, said that claims of safety improvements at the yards were “a whitewash”. “The main issue here is waste management. On this front, we hardly see any improvement. One new room to dispose of hazardous waste or a doctor doesn’t change anything,” he told AFP. “The ship breakers must have dockyards to ensure full safety standards in scrapping. Unless that happens, the accidents and environment degradation will continue.” […]
