A ship shape solution

A couple of months ago on a visit to Bangladesh I took a boat across the river to visit Dhaka’s ship dismantling yard. No one stopped me from entering and there was nothing to prevent me going on board and having a good look around. A group of children let me join in a game of cricket and showed me their newly born puppies while their mother cooked a meal – all this in a shipyard!

Spurred on by this, I came back determined that my report for the transport committee should build on my first-hand experience, and on 26 February, my opinion on the scandal of the south Asian ship dismantling industry was adopted. I am calling for the current socially and environmentally damaging practice of ship dismantling to be brought to an end, and for existing EU legislation to be better enforced.

The EU accounts for about a third of all ships that are sent for scrapping each year. Most of this is done on the Indian sub-continent where the majority of shipyards are completely ill-equipped to deal with this kind of work. The practice is directly comparable to using workers abroad in sweat shops. Once beautiful beaches have been transformed into treacherous industrial zones in which workers, often including children, are in constant danger. Workers have been killed due to a lack of protective equipment and machinery; deaths have been caused by explosions, suffocation and exposure to dangerous chemicals like asbestos.

The effect on the environment is equally appalling. Every year, two-thirds of all ships – between 200 and 600 – are dismantled on beaches and river banks on the Indian sub-continent. Most of this is done in Bangladesh, which has few sites that are able to contain or prevent pollution from seeping into the water and soil.

Putting a total end to ship dismantling in south Asia is not an option. It constitutes an intrinsic part of the local economies and is a significant source of steel for the countries concerned – Bangladesh, for example, derives up to 90 per cent of its steel from end-of-life ships. It is vital, however, that we offer these countries technical assistance and the transfer of technology and best practice, so that better health and safety standards can be put in place.

Europe’s priority now should be to provide immediate help to south Asian shipyards, enabling them to comply with international standards. All hazardous materials from end-of-life ships should be removed before being sent for scrapping. As such, direct financial support should be given to clean ship dismantling facilities in the EU or to ship-owners who send their vessels to “green” yards.

It is time for Europe to face up to its social and environmental responsibilities, and I am hopeful that this report will be the start of some very positive change for the ship dismantling industry. The report will be voted on in the sitting of the European parliament in April or May this year.

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