Bangladesh shipbreakers are being encouraged to improve environment and worker safety following an impromptu visit by International Maritime Organization secretary-general Kitack Lim.
Lim was visiting a Bangladesh seminar on seafarer career development when he was invited to see the improvements made by PHP Family, which is considered the most progressive yard in the shipbreaking region of Chittagong.
PHP has invested heavily in facilities, such as cranes and an impermeable floor, to protect the environment and worker safety.
Yard managing director Zahirul Islam told TradeWinds he was encouraged by Lim’s comments about the facility.
“He [Lim] was extremely pleased to see a Hong Kong Convention-complaint yard and congratulated us for having a great work ethic with good vision and philosophy,” Islam said.
Speaking to a local TV station, Lim complimented the yard's management.
“I believe it is one of the most successful facilities,” Lim said. “I see a very firm and decisive mindset from the managing director."
However, few yards in Bangladesh have followed PHP's example and the shipbreaking sector has been heavily criticised for its safety and environmental record.
Last year, the Norwegian foreign aid programme Norad completed stage one of a project to assist Bangladesh yards in improving facilities.
Stage two of the project is under consideration. It would involve the installation of a treatment, storage and disposal facility for hazardous material, which can be shared by shipbreakers in Chittagong.
