Ship Breaking and Recycling Industry of Bangladesh; Issues and Challenges

Over two decades ship-recycling industry in Bangladesh has received considerable attention via providing raw materials to steel industry, shipbuilding industry and some other industries in Bangladesh and some other countries of South Asia. Bangladesh derives 80-90% of its steel from end-of-life ships. Ship-breaking industries generate a number of employment opportunities for Bangladesh too. Unfortunately, the ship-recycling industry has also gained the attention because of many fatal accidents causing human deaths. This industry affects the environment in some seriously harmful ways. Workers safety, child labor, environmental issues are also threatened by this industry. In some ship-recycling facilities of Bangladesh, children are conducted to various works which violates the rules and regulations of Bangladesh Shishu Adhikar Forum (BASF). Workers are also being deprived of their rights in some cases. Due to ship-breaking harmful substances like Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP's), asbestos, heavy metals become wide open in the environment which is a threat to the inhabitants. This paper focuses on the Ship Breaking and Recycling Industry (SBRI) of Bangladesh to access its present situation, impact on environment as well as worker rights and safety. The paper also puts light on how Bangladesh Ship Breakers Association (BSBA) reacts to unhygienic, unsafe scrapping facilities and what remedies shall be taken to overcome the challenges of this potential industry.