Evergreen Line is defending its dealings with Bangladeshi shipbreaker Kabir Steel after a worker death last week.
On 24 July, a cutter identified as Shahidul fell from a "great height" and died at Kabir's yard in Chittagong while taking apart the 5364-teu Ever Union (built 1997), formerly owned by Evergreen.
Tuesday, the Taiwanese liner operator said it "wishes to express sympathy for this loss of life". But it argued that Kabir Steel, which also operates bulkers and makes steel, is a certified Green Ship Recycling yard under ISO standards.
"Evergreen's current policy for recycling aged ships, both at the bidding invitation and memorandum of agreement stages, stipulates that the shipbreaking yard selected by the buyer must fulfil the standards of 2009 Hong Kong Convention on Safe and Responsible Ship Recycling," a statement from the company read.
"Despite the convention as yet not being officially in force, Evergreen insists on the adoption of such higher standards. The company will also require more stringent safety measures should be included in the bids for its end-of-life vessels in the future in order to be assured that they will be scrapped in a safe and eco-friendly manner."
Pressure group NGO Shipbreaking Platform said five Evergreen ships had been sent to the yard for scrapping this year and that the Ever Union had been beached in April.
The group says monsoon season has slowed shipbreaking in the region, but last week's incident was the second death at a scrapping yard this month.
