The Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change has suspended the environmental clearance for S.N. Corporation (Unit-2) and the MT. SWARAJYA scrap ship due to the accident that caused casualties.
A show cause notice has been issued, requiring an explanation within three working days as to why their operations should not be permanently shut down. Until further notice, all ship-breaking activities of the Swarajya scrap ship will remain suspended.
On the directive of Syeda Rizwana Hasan, the Department of Environment has suspended the environmental clearance.
On 7 September 2024, an explosion occurred during the cutting of the MT. SWARAJYA scrap ship at the ship-breaking yard of S.N. Corporation (Unit-2) in Sitakunda, Chattogram. The incident injured 12 workers and resulted in 1 death.
Initial investigations revealed violations of several conditions of the environmental clearance for the ship-breaking yard. It is also believed that conditions of the scrap ship's clearance were breached. As a result, the environmental clearances for S.N. Corporation (Unit-2) and the MT. SWARAJYA scrap ship have been suspended, and all ship-breaking activities have been halted.
