CHATTOGRAM, Sept 29: The ship breaking yard situated over an area of 32.18 km along the coast of Bay of Bengal extending from Sitakunda to Fouzderhat remains a death trap for the dismantling workers engaged in the yard.
Even the 'Green Yard' of the ship breaking Industry across the Sitakunda coast of the country has also turned into a death trap for the workers.
In a recent incident, six workers had been killed and six others were injured in the green yard.
A 'Green Yard' refers to a yard that is compliant with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Guidelines for Safe and Environmentally Sound Ship Recycling under the Hong Kong Convention (HKC).
SN Corporation becomes Bangladesh's 2nd green ship breaking yard of the country.
Established in 1990 on 13 acres of land in Sitakunda, Chattogram, SN Corporation currently employs over 300 people and produces an average of 90,000-100,000 tonnes of scrap metal per year through dismantling junk vessels.
Meanwhile, in 2017, PHP Ship Breaking and Recycling Industries Ltd became the first yard to comply with the HKC convention and dismantled the first green non-hazardous ship, Victoria, in April 2018.
Despite green ship breaking yard, six workers had been killed and six others injured in a deadly explosion on September 7 in SN Corporation Ship Breaking Yard at Sitakunda that killed six workers and injured as many.
For this reason, Ministry of Industry has fined SN Corporation Ship Breaking Yard Tk 35 lakh, and ordered it closed for three months following the deadly accident.
The Ministry issued the penalty on September 18 after receiving an investigation report on the incident. The report included 20 recommendations aimed at preventing future incidents.
A letter signed by Deputy Secretary Sanjay Kumar Ghosh, stated that each family of the deceased would receive Tk 700,000 in compensation.
This includes Tk 500,000 under Section 45.3 of the Ship Breaking and Recycling Rules, 2011, and an additional Tk 200,000 in accordance with labour laws.
The yard was also fined under multiple sections of the Ship Breaking and Recycling Rules. These fines include Tk 10 lakh under Section 45.3, Tk1 lakh under Section 46.3, Tk 10 lakh under Section 46.9, and Tk 5 lakh under Section 46.11.
In addition to the fines and closure, the Ministry ordered the yard's management to cover all medical expenses for the injured workers and provide them with 12 months' wages as compensation.
The explosion, which left 12 workers severely burned, prompted the Ministry to issue recommendations aimed at improving safety measures within the ship breaking industry. Six of the injured workers remain hospitalized.
The green yard ensured that the ship breaking process does not harm the environment or the health of workers by complying with strict environmental standards. Green shipyards prioritises workers' safety and health by implementing strict safety protocols, providing personal protective equipment, and offering training programmes for workers.
The environment-friendly shipyards can attract more customers and generate higher profits by differentiating themselves from non-compliant competitors and by accessing premium markets that prioritise sustainability.
But such type of ship breaking yards had failed to ensured the security and safety of workers in SN Corporation yard.
Meanwhile, the ship breaking industry sources termed such incident in the green yard due to lack of skilled manpower and expert shortages.
