Towards a safer ship recycling industry

Gone are the days when ships used to be scrapped. Almost 95% of obsolete ships can now be reformed and reused. Recycling these ships is the most economical and environment-friendly way to dispose of them. 

Though this practice has become firmly established as a viable industry, research in this area is still not up to par. With time, a growing number of academics around the world are becoming aware of the bright prospects of this industry and have found that with the proper research, it is possible to make it a significant part of the global economy. 

Bangladesh's involvement in this sector dates back to the 1960s when the Greek ship "Md Alphine" got stuck on the shore of Sitakunda, Chattogram, during the aftermath of a cyclone. It lay there for a long time until the Chittagong Steel House took it for scrapping. 

Later in 1974, Al Abbas, a salvaged Pakistan Navy vessel, which sank during the liberation war, was dismantled by the Karnafully Metal Works. These events substantially contributed to kickstarting shipbreaking practices in Bangladesh which eventually led to an industry in this country. 

Between 2000 and 2010, the ship recycling industry in Bangladesh grew exponentially. Bangladesh grabbed 30% of global recycling, in terms of LDT (Light Displacement Tonnes). Compared to India and Pakistan, two major shipbreaking nations, Bangladesh scrapped the most ships in 2019. Furthermore, Bangladesh consistently held the top spot in terms of gross tonnage from 2015 to 2020.

Earlier studies revealed that nearly 50,000 people are employed directly in this sector, and more than 1,00,000 individuals rely on it for daily subsistence. For the most part, Bhatiary to Barwalia in Sitakunda - Bangladesh's coastline region - is home to the ship recycling industries. 

In addition to providing jobs, this industry meets most of the country's steel requirements and generates considerable profits for a range of government departments. If quantified, this industry alone provides almost 60% of raw materials for local steel production. 

It also benefits a range of sectors, including the shipbuilding industry, construction sector, re-rolling mills, steel mills, oxygen plants, cable, ceramic, and furniture companies. By integrating many independent businesses and suppliers, this sector is aiding in building a secure economy for this nation.

However, all these benefits do not come without a downside. Scrapping a ship may generate tons of waste, including asbestos, toxic compounds like Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), and persistent oil. 

In addition to polluting the environment, these compounds expose workers to unavoidable short and long-term illnesses, if not handled properly. Also, workers sustain severe casualties due to unplanned work practices, and the number is not negligible.

All these hazards and casualties are avoidable if proper actions are taken. India has radically changed their business practices by adopting technological solutions. Around 90 to 95 recycling facilities in India are certified green yards, whereas Bangladesh has only one HKC-certified yard. 

Although a few more ship recycling yards are now improving their infrastructure to become HKC-certified yards, the number is not enough. 

If other ship recycling yards don't improve their situation, then there is a chance that Bangladesh will lose its current market to competitors soon. To stay in this business, the ship recycling industry must achieve at least minimum health, safety, and environmental standards. 

The industry must meet at least the bare minimum health, safety, and environmental requirements to continue surviving in this industry. There is enough room for improvement in the ship recycling industry in Bangladesh. But because of insufficient financial backing and scope of appropriate research activities and their execution, the situation hasn't altered yet.

Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) and Newcastle University are at present jointly working on a research project titled "The Safety Envelope for Ship Recycling Practices in Bangladesh: Hazard Identification and Risk Evaluation". This project is funded by Engineering X, an international collaboration founded by the Royal Academy of Engineering and Lloyd's Register Foundation.  

The collaboration is a great opportunity that can be utilised to improve ship recycling practices in Bangladesh. Kabir Steel Limited is the industrial partner of this project and is supporting the project by providing field-level knowledge and data. 

The first goal of this project is to identify potential hazards and gaps in the industry and provide practical solutions in terms of the economic conditions and mindset of stakeholders involved. One of the main objectives of this project is to collect evidence-based data by conducting systematic surveys at ship recycling yards of varying standards. 

This database will direct users to the industry's higher-risk zones, which are mainly to blame for the poor reputation of the sector. 

Another primary motive of this project is to conduct Hazard and Operability sessions, by including academicians from different ends of the world and stakeholders with field experience and other expertise, to achieve feasible solutions in the context of Bangladesh. Eventually, the aim is to provide the workers with a safer and technologically improved environment, which will indeed not compromise the final product quality and efficient working hours.

Platforms like this for sharing the best practices and knowledge are imperative for the growth of this industry. Hopefully, the cooperation of the Ministry of Industries and ship recycling yards will significantly speed up the work development of this project in the coming years. 

Ship recycling in Bangladesh is crucial for economic growth, despite its many pros and cons. However, the industry may have a brighter future if proactive and positive changes through systematic research are made to its approach to workplace and environmental health and safety. 

To provide the highest level of protection in terms of occupational and environmental health standards and to propel the industry toward sustainability over time, it is imperative that this project is successfully completed. It will foster a paradigm shift that will encourage industry participants to adopt compliant and environmentally friendly green ship recycling in Bangladesh.

Nafisa Mehtaj is Research Assistant, Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, Buet.

N M Golam Zakaria is Project Co-lead and Professor, Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, Buet.

Arun Dev is Project Lead and Associate Professor, Newcastle University in Singapore (NUiS).