ISLAMABAD: The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has hit thousands of workers associated of South Asian ship-breaking industry really hard, as imports of vessels have been halted amid strict lock downs in the region.
A senior official of maritime securities requesting not to be named, informed The News Today that authorities have imposed a ban on import of scrapped vessels particularly ships from European Union countries severely affected COVID-19 outbreak.
He said workers associated with ship breaking industry are going through severe financial crunch because of slump in the industry after lockdowns imposed throughout the world.
A large number of ship-breaking workers rendered jobless are unable to return to their home towns. They are yet to receive their salaries of last month and have not received any alternative support, such as food, from their employers, a worker claimed.
The publication of an international think-tank working for the rights of workers associated with ship-breaking industry ‘NGO Shipbreaking Platform’ revealed that entire South Asian region-Pakistan, India and Bangladesh have been facing the same situation due to the effects of pandemic COVID-19.
According to IndustriALL Global Union, more than 400 food bags were handed out to the National Trade Union Federation and the Shipbreaking Workers Union in Pakistan.
In Bangladesh, according to the Platform’s member organization YPSA, only local workers are partially receiving food support from the government and from some yard owners.
Migrant workers, on the other hand, have not received any public support. YPSA and OSHE, another Platform member organization active in the Chattogram area, are currently providing assistance to few of the migrant workforce. There is a dire need to secure emergency food assistance, as well as medical check-ups and awareness rising to avoid the spread of Covid-19.
The think-tank ‘NGO Shipbreaking Platform’ in its publication while sharing the life losses on different shipbreaking yards during the 1st quarter of year 2020 described that accident records in Gadani, Pakistan and Alang India, are extremely difficult to obtain. The death toll caused by occupational diseases contracted at the beaching yards is not disclosed in either India, Pakistan or Bangladesh, and is likely to be shockingly high.
In the first quarter of 2020, Saudi Arabian owners sold the most ships to South Asian yards, followed by South Korean and Greek owners. Shipping company Berge Bulk sent five vessels to Bangladesh for breaking.
These add up to the four ships that the ship owner sold to the same beach last year. Berge Bulk’s scrapping practices prompted the Lloyd’s List Asia Awards to withdraw the prize for “Excellence in Environmental Management” the company recently received for its commitment to environmental conservation.
Indeed, there is nothing laudable about putting workers lives at serious risk and polluting sensitive coastal environments, industry workers say.
Almost half of the ships sold to South Asia this quarter changed flag to the registries of Comoros, Gabon, Palau and St. Kitts and Nevis just weeks before hitting the beach. These flags are not typically used during the operational life of ships and offer ‘last voyage registration’ discounts.
The middlemen purchase vessels from ship owners, flag them with grey- and black-listed shipping registries having poor implementation of international maritime law.
These high number of flag changes at end-of-life of a ship seriously compromises the effectiveness of legislation based on flag state jurisdiction only, such as the European Union (EU) Ship Recycling Regulation.
The Platform recorded at least six ships were de-registered from European flag registry prior to their last voyage to South Asia in order to circumvent EU legislation.
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