Though many of Bangladesh’s shipbreaking yards have gone green on paper, workers continue to face deadly safety hazards, with at least 84 accidents recorded since the Hong Kong Convention came into force last year.
There are 31 functioning shipyards, of which 23 have “gone green” and eight are under trial, according to relevant sources.
The gap between certification and reality was exposed yet again by the deaths of nine workers after exposure to toxic gas inside a scrap vessel at Ferdous Steel Ship Recycling Industries in Sitakunda’s Bhatiari on Friday (August 14).
According to data compiled by Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS), the 84 accidents recorded between June 26, 2025, and August 14, 2026, claimed 15 lives and injured 81 workers.
The Daily Star analysed the data and found that falling girders and heavy objects, crane or wire failures, and gas explosions accounted for most of the accidents.
Regarding Friday’s incident, officials of the Department of Explosives said the casualties occurred after hydrogen sulphide gas accumulated inside a confined tank on board the vessel.
The scrapped LNG carrier, MT Rasi, arrived at the Chattogram anchorage in July 2025 and was beached for demolition later that month.
The deadly incident has renewed criticism that the “green licences” granted to shipyards certifying their compliance with the Hong Kong Convention amount to little more than “greenwashing” -- the deceptive practice of making false, exaggerated, or misleading claims about the environmental benefits of a product, service, or company practice
The Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships is a global treaty adopted in May 2009 by the International Maritime Organization that entered into force on June 26, 2025. It ensures that ship dismantling does not harm human health, worker safety, or the environment.
However, expert groups such as the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers’ Association (BELA) argue that it does not go far enough and that shipyards should also comply with the more stringent Basel Convention.
In a statement on Friday, BELA said, “They [the shipbreakers] have argued that the Hong Kong Convention coming into force means there is no need for the controls they faced under the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal.
“Yet we continue to see how compliance with the weaker Hong Kong Convention has done little to improve the occupational health and safety of workers who continue to face death in the industry.”
According to the Bangladesh Ship Breakers and Recyclers Association (BSBRA), 23 “green yards” are currently operating, with eight more undergoing trial operations.
Accident data show that incidents continue to occur repeatedly at certified facilities. KR Steel Yard in Lalbagh, Sitakunda, recorded the highest number, with 29 accidents leaving 29 workers injured. Arefin Enterprise recorded nine accidents, leaving eight injured and one dead; Ferdous Steel recorded four, leaving nine dead and 10 injured; and Janata Steel recorded six, among others.
Since the shift to “green yards”, the industry has recorded more deaths and injuries than in either of the previous two years -- suggesting that certification has yet to make the industry safer.
In 2023, seven workers were killed and 28 injured, while seven were killed and 22 injured in 2024.
The Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) has already filed cases against three certified yards, including Ferdous Steel, over inadequate workplace safety and the non-payment of wages in recent years during the “green” regime.
Mahbub Hossain, deputy inspector general of DIFE Chattogram, said, “The neglect is also evident in DIFE’s decision to sue Ferdous Steel in July over safety violations… Many green-certified yards fail to maintain safety protocols on the ground.
“When we inspect and identify irregularities, we issue notices. If they fail to improve within the specified time, we initiate legal action under the Labour Act.”
The three cases filed between June 2025 and July 2026, included one against Ferdous Steel last July, he said, adding that cases were also filed against two other green shipyards, but he could not confirm their exact names.
During The Daily Star’s recent visit to the Ferdous Steel shipyard, workers alleged that management routinely ignored safety rules and continued cutting operations even on weekly holidays.
One worker, seeking anonymity, said safety gear often needs to be replaced once it is worn out, but the yard authorities provide only one set per year.
According to statistics collected by BELA, Ferdous Steel had recorded six accidents since 2009 even before Friday’s tragedy, leaving at least three workers dead.
Md Yousuf Ali, manager of Ferdous Steel, denied allegations of negligence.
“We follow the green shipyard guidelines. Those who issue the certification directly oversee these matters. If there were any negligence on our part, we would not be able to continue our operations. This was an unfortunate accident.”
ASM Shafiul Alam Talukder, director general of the Bangladesh Ship Recycling Board (BSRB), which oversees green shipyard certification and other compliance issues, acknowledged that many yards were failing to fully comply with the requirements, leading to repeated accidents.
“We monitor the yards, and if negligence is found, we suspend their operations and take action,” he said, adding that the BSRB had suspended all operations at Ferdous Steel until further notice following Friday’s incident.
FLAG OF CONVENIENCE
The Hong Kong Convention’s shortcomings are further highlighted by the LNG tanker MT Rasi switching to a flag of convenience shortly before it was sent to Bangladesh for breaking -- a practice the convention does not regulate.
A flag of convenience means registering a ship in a foreign country, often to avoid stricter regulations.
According to vessel trackers, MT Rasi was owned by South Korea-based H-Line Shipping Co Ltd, operated by Korea Gas Corp, and flew the South Korean flag for most of its life.
However, the 26-year-old ship switched to the flag of St Kitts and Nevis immediately before it was sent to Chattogram.
South Korea acceded to the Basel Convention in 1994, making it subject to its strict compliance requirements.
Meanwhile, St Kitts and Nevis is on the “black list” of the Paris Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Port State Control, which rates flag states based on how well their ships comply with safety and environmental standards.
A black-listed flag state is considered high-risk because of its poor compliance record.
The Paris MoU on Port State Control is an administrative system that monitors compliance with international maritime safety, security and environmental standards at ports in Europe and the North Atlantic region.
In 2008, the High Court ruled that all ships imported for breaking must comply with the Basel Convention, which strictly regulates the transboundary movement and disposal of hazardous waste.
Meanwhile, BELA filed a writ petition seeking a ban on ships coming from grey- or black-listed flag states. In 2017, the High Court ruled that imports of ships from such flag states must be controlled.
“It becomes equally imperative for the government to further regulate imports of scrap vessels from ‘black/grey-listed countries’,” the court said in its ruling.
