8enef|ts

Shlpbreaklng plays an lmporLanL role ln Lhe naLlonal economy for a number of reasons

1 roducLlon of sLeel Lhe scrapplng of shlps provldes Lhe counLry's maln source of sLeel and ln dolng so
saves subsLanLlal amounL of money ln forelgn exchange by reduclng Lhe need Lo lmporL sLeel maLerlals
8angladesh needs 8 mllllon Lons of bulldlng maLerlals per year of whlch lron ls a ma[or componenL 1he
lron from recycled shlps supplles lron maLerlals ln Lhe counLry 1hls does mean however LhaL Lhe
owners have more power and conLrol over Lhe amounL of sLeel LhaL ls sold and Lhe prlce lL ls sold aL

2 ln some ways lL can be consldered a green lndusLry" AlmosL everyLhlng on Lhe shlp and Lhe shlp
lLself ls recycled reused and resold 1he scrapplng of shlps supplles raw maLerlals Lo sLeel mllls sLeel
plaLe remanufacLurlng asbesLos remanufacLurlng as well as provldlng furnlLure palnL elecLrlcal
equlpmenL and lubrlcanLs oll Lo Lhe number of buslnesses LhaL have spouLed up speclflcally as a resulL

3 lL generaLes large amounLs of revenue for varlous CovernmenL auLhorlLles Lhrough Lhe paymenL of
Laxes Lvery year Lhe CovernmenL collecLs almosL 9000 mllllon Laka ln revenue from Lhe shlpbreaklng
lndusLry Lhrough lmporL duLy yards Lax and oLher Laxes


4 LmploymenL uesplLe Lhe condlLlons LhaL Lhe workers are employed under Lhls ls an lndusLry LhaL
employs more Lhan 20000 people dlrecLly lL provldes employmenL for some of Lhe pooresL people from
Lhe norLh of 8angladesh who would oLherwlse have no employmenL

1hese malnly economlc beneflLs have made shlpbreaklng a powerful lndusLry 8uL Lhese economlc
beneflLs should be consldered LogeLher wlLh Lhe soclal and envlronmenLal cosLs 1ogeLher wlLh beLLer
regulaLlon shlpbreaklng can also brlng soclal and envlronmenLal beneflLs

|pbreak|ng around te wor|d
lndla
Alang 1he place where shlps go Lo dle
1hanks Lo Lhe recesslon Cu[araLs shlpbreaklng yards are boomlng buL Lhe lmpacL on Lhe envlronmenL
ls Loxlc

lL ls known as Lhe graveyard of shlps a place where agelng vessels are Lorn aparL by unskllled labourers
and Lhe meLal Lhen sold on as scrap ln recenL years Lhese ofLen deadly and dangerous shlp breakers
yards whlch sLreLch a full seven mlles along Lhe coasLllne of Lhe lndlan sLaLe of Cu[araL have Lhemselves
been a llLLle on Lhelr uppers 8ead more

1he yards ln Alang ls famous ln Lhe shlpbreaklng lndusLry LocaLed along Lhe bank of Lhe Arablan Ccean
and concenLraLed around a coasLal area named Alang of vabhnagar ln Lhe sLaLe of Cu[araL almosL 3000
kllomeLers from ChlLLagong 8angaldesh 1he Alang shlpbreaklng yards sLarLed scrapplng shlps ln 1983
uump ManagemenL SysLem
1he dump managemenL yard creaLed by Lhe Cu[araL MarlLlme 8oard (CM8) sLarLed lL acLlvlLles 2006
1here are several large holes ln Lhe yard whlch are covered from Lop Lo boLLom by a Lhlck layer of
plasLlc 1he wasLe maLerlals from Lhe shlps are boughL by Lruck and placed lnLo Lhese holes and once
full lL ls covered up wlLh soll AnoLher hole ls Lhen dug ouL
An asbesLos segregaLlon cenLer where Lhe Loxlc maLerlals are separaLed from oLher wasLe ls also due Lo
open

1ralnlng and Welfare CenLer
1hls Lralnlng and welfare cenLer ls organlzed by Lhe CM8 lLs deslgned Lo Lraln workers on rlsk
managemenL securlLy and safeLy ln Lhe shlpbreaklng yards 1hree klnds of Lralnlng are dellvered ln Lhls
cenLer baslc Lralnlng advanced Lralnlng and Lralnlng for Lhe foremen 1he baslc Lralnlng ls for Lhree days
wlLh beLween 30 Lo 33 workers 1he cenLer has compleLed 33 baslc Lralnlngs AfLer Lhe baslc Lralnlng
advanced Lralnlng ls avallable AfLer compleLlng Lhe Lralnlng Lhe cenLer lssues Lhe workers wlLh a
cerLlflcaLe wlLh whlch Lhe workers can use Lo access healLh faclllLles

1he cenLer use posLers sLeel plcLures and vldeo cllpplngs Lo educaLe Lhe workers 1here an lndoor and
ouLdoor audlLorlum ln Lhe Lralnlng cenLer 1he ouLdoor audlLorlum ls for Lhe workers 1hey waLch fllms
or documenLarles abouL safeLy ln Lhe evenlngs as Lhey work durlng Lhe day Land has also been
purchased by Lhe CM8 Lo bulld adequaLe houslng for Lhe workers
(Source Creenpeace webslLe)

Chlna
ln Chlna shlpbreaklng looks less dramaLlc Lhan on lndlan or 8angladeshl beaches vessels are broken up
ln docks wlLh more cranes and machlnery 8uL ln facL Lhe worklng condlLlons are slmllar ln shlpbreaklng
yards all over Asla

lnsufflclenL proLecLlon

ln 2000 Creenpeace vlslLed four Chlnese shlpbreaklng yards Workers were elLher noL compleLely or
lnsufflclenLly proLecLed agalnsL Loxlc and hazardous maLerlals 1oxlc wasLe ls burnL ln open flres
AsbesLos was removed wlLhouL proper proLecLlon for workers 1he carclnogenlc maLerlal was sold for
reuse Lo lndusLrles produclng heaLlng sysLems

Peavlly polluLed

?ards were heavlly polluLed by oll heavy meLals and oLher Loxlc subsLances olluLlon has spread
ouLslde Lhe yards as well Creenpeace sLudles proved LhaL sedlmenLs of Lhe earl and ?angLze rlver are
also polluLed by Loxlc subsLances from old shlps (Source Creenpeace webslLe)

aklsLan
hlsLorlcal perspecLlve

1he shlpbreaklng lndusLry has a long and noLqulLelllusLrlous hlsLory Long ago when shlpplngllnes
were Lhe arLerles of world commerce Lhere were myrlad opporLunlLles for Lhe less scrupulous amongsL
us Lo proflL from Lhe seas lraLes of course are Lhe one such example of downrlghL nasLlness 1hese
paraslLes of Lhe seas have been romanLlclsed and lmmorLallsed ln human memory by now wlLh a
popular lnLerneL meme from lasL year plLLlng plraLes agalnsL nln[as ln all manner of lnane Lasks erhaps
Lhe reason for Lhe noLorleLy of plraLes ls Lhe facL LhaL Lhey are oLher Lhan ln Somalla exLlncL 1hey
unllke so many of Lhelr llk were noL converLed by Lhe forces of caplLallsm lnLo a leglLlmaLe buslness
venLure
Speaklng of oLher lmmoral devlls from Lhe mlddleages and beyond who laLer goL clvlllsed Shlp
wrecklng used Lo be a very proflLable form of bandlLry up unLll Lhe 19Lh cenLury 8esldes Lhe usual
opporLunlsLlc looLlng from naLurally wrecked shlps enLerprlslng lndlvlduals would ofLen use nefarlously
placed llghLhouses Lo drlve desperaLe seavessels dlrecLly on Lo dangerous rocks afLer whlch Lhey would
klll Lhe crew and Lake aparL sald vessels Lo salvage every [olnL of wood LhaL could posslbly Lurn a proflL
WlLh Lhe advenL of Lhe lndusLrlal age shlpbullders sLarLed uslng more durable maLerlals Lo consLrucL
Lhe behemoLhs LhaL roamed Lhe open oceans MeLals were now Lhe predomlnanL lngredlenL ln shlp
bulldlng and as every recycllng fanaLlc amongsL us knows meLals are a flnlLe resource WlLh Lhls
paradlgm shlfL Lhe lndusLry of shlpbreaklng was born converLlng Lhe aforemenLloned lmmoral devlls
lnLo upsLandlng hardworklng clLlzens of Lhe clvlllsed world now lnsLead of havlng Lo Lrlck shlps lnLo
wrecklng Lhemselves all Lhe enLerprlslng lndlvldual had Lo do was Lo flnd a [ob ln one of Lhe greaL shlp
breaklng yards of Lurope's coasLal clLles Sure Lhe proflLs fell buL Lhere was [ob safeLy and no need Lo
murder and so Lhe lndusLry flourlshed
1haL was Lurope ln Lhe 19Lh cenLury Slowly as LhaL parL of Lhe world progressed lnLo Lhe realm of
labourlaws and envlronmenLal proLecLlon Lhe harsh lndusLry of shlpbreaklng found a new home WlLh
Lhe lmmense amounL of labor lL requlred and Lhe damage lL caused Lo Lhe envlronmenL SouLh Asla was
Lhe perfecL haven for Lhe sLlllproflLable occupaLlon 1he hungry unemployed mllllons and Lhe compleLe
lack of poLenLlally hamperlng leglslaLlon made lndla 8angladesh and aklsLan Lhe premler shlpbreaklng
counLrles ln Lhe world 1he mechanlcs of shlpbreaklng have remalned more or less consLanL over Lhe
years llrsL Lhe shlp LhaL ls Lo be dlsmanLled ls run aground on a sLreLch of beach 1hen workers swarm
over lL and Lake lL aparL plece by plece salvaglng a vasL quanLlLy of lron and sLeel ln Lhe process along
wlLh varlous oLher valuable maLerlals lor Lhls operaLlon a naLural harbor ls a Lrue blesslng as lL allows
vessels of any slze Lo approach and be grounded wlLh ease

1he lndusLry ln aklsLan

1he aklsLanl shlpbreaklng lndusLry ls for Lhls very reason slLuaLed malnly ln Cadanl 8alochlsLan abouL
30 kllomeLers away from karachl A 10 kllomeLers long beachfronL here plays hosL Lo as many old and
Llred shlps as need be as long as sald need ls below 123 shlps ln lLs heyday Lhls yard provlded dlrecL
employmenL Lo around 30000 people and was Lhe largesL shlpbreaklng operaLlon ln Lhe world lrom
1969 Lo 1983 Cadanl was ln Lhe prlme of lLs llfe ln Lhe 80's lL produced a mllllon Lonnes of scrap meLal
each year Lhus fuellng Lhe aklsLanl sLeel lndusLry llke noLhlng else
uurlng Lhls Llme Lhe aklsLanl governmenL for once showed good buslness sense and dld all lL could Lo
help Lhe developmenL of Lhe lndusLry lnfrasLrucLure was developed lmporL duLles were lessened and
Lhe naLlonal Shlp8reakers' AssoclaLlon was glven a volce 1he effecL of all Lhls was a mlnor economlc
boom for Lhe provlnce of 8alochlsLan as Lhe 8alochlsLan uevelopmenL AuLhorlLy leased Lhe 8eachfronL
ln Cadanl ouL Lo Lhe shlpbreakers on a casebycase basls and exLracLed revenue accordlng Lo Lhe
Lonnage of Lhe shlp belng broken 1hls source of revenue for Lhe lmpoverlshed provlnce conLlnues well
lnLo Lhe presenL day even afLer Lhe operaLlons aL Cadanl have slowed down slgnlflcanLly
1hls slowlng down sLarLed ln Lhe laLe 80s as LaxaLlon and lmporL duLles grew and compeLlLlon from
yards ln 8angladesh and lndla leeched off buslness 1he deprecaLlon wenL on Llll 2001 when Lhe LoLal
scrap meLal produced aL Lhe yard was a mere 160000 Lonnes down from Lhe mllllons of Lhe prevlous
decades
8esurgence dld come abouL aL Lhe sLarL of Lhe 2000s Lhough as LaxaLlon on shlpbreaklng was cuL down
Lo 10 per cenL from 13 per cenL CrowLh has been noLlceable over Lhe lasL few years especlally wlLh Lhe
20092010 flscal year belng one of Lhe mosL successful ln recenL hlsLory A record 107 shlps were broken
durlng Lhls year aL Cadanl an all Llme hlgh for Lhe yard

LnvlronmenLal and occupaLlonal hazards

uesplLe Lhe economlc success Lhe buslness has broughL abouL ln aklsLan Lhe facLors LhaL caused llrsL
World counLrles Lo abandon Lhls pracLlce are sLlll very much exlsLenL Lconomlc and occupaLlonal
hazards are a dlme a dozen and Lhey are progresslvely geLLlng worse uS ueparLmenL of Labour
CccupaLlonal SafeLy and PealLh AdmlnlsLraLlon worksheeL from 2001 dlvldes Lhe dangers assoclaLed
wlLh shlpbreaklng lnLo Lhree caLegorles Pazardous Lxposures Pazardous Work AcLlvlLles and
Pazardous Work CondlLlons
Pazardous exposures are one of Lhe maln envlronmenLal lssues assoclaLed wlLh Lhe lndusLry olsonous
subsLances such as AsbesLos and Lead are common on shlps from even a few years ago and are glven no
lmporLance by elLher our governmenL or Lhe Shlpbreakers' AssoclaLlon CLher more commonplace
dangers such as excesslve nolse levels and flre are noL consldered dangers aL all
Pazardous work acLlvlLles lnclude whaL our frlend Murad meL wlLh Weldlng ouL huge pleces of meLal ln
almosL absoluLe darkness sounds dangerous and lndeed lL ls Shlps are huge some are larger Lhan sky
scrapers Worklng manually on such glganLlc sLrucLures near Lhe sea means dangers from boLh helghL
and depLh aklsLanl workers have Lhe added dlsadvanLage of noL possesslng any safeLy equlpmenL aL
all 1hese condlLlons are hazardous ln every way
Murad makes a reenLry lnLo Lhe sLory here A compleLe lack of labour compensaLlon laws meanL LhaL he
dld noL have a legal base Lo sue hls employers who had already been unusually generous (by aklsLanl
sLandards) ln Laklng care of hls medlcal expenses Pe was Lo leave my faLher's offlce dlsappolnLed
lollowlng up wlLh hlm laLer l dlscovered LhaL Lhe eldesL of hls 4 sons was now ln Lhe shlpbreaklng
buslness Laklng up from where hls faLher had been forced Lo leave off ln a counLry rlddled wlLh
unemploymenL and hunger Murad was glad Lo have found a means of subslsLence for hls son even
Lhough he was wellaware of Lhe posslble dangers

vlLal yeL faLal

A spaLe of slmllar lncldenLs ln 2010 forced Lhousands of shlpbreakers from over 40 dlfferenL companles
Lo go on a 6 day sLrlke lasL year WlLh over 17 onLhe[ob causallLles ln Lhe 20092010 flscal year Lhe
largesL of Lhe labor unlons all unlLed Lo demand reasonable work hours safer work condlLlons and
modern safeLy equlpmenL along wlLh more reasonable wages (Shlpbreaklng ls a mlnlmum wage [ob lL
barely pays 8s60007000 per monLh) unforLunaLely Lhe sLrlke pald few dlvldends agreemenLs were
made buL noLhlng was lmplemenLed and so condlLlons remaln as bad as ever
1hls purpose of Lhls arLlcle was Lo shed llghL on Lhe buslness of shlpbreaklng lL ls a buslness LhaL ls
lmporLanL Lo Lhe economy of aklsLan yeL so dangerous LhaL lL ls almosL a crlme Lo employ people for lL
1he longLerm effecLs of Lhe hazardous exposures haven'L ever been documenLed and no one knows
whaL amounL of damage Lhey've caused Lo Lhe people of Cadanl lL really ls llke belng caughL beLween a
rock and a hard place and for as long as feeds Lhe mouLhs of Lhe hungry Lhe remoLer dangers shall be
overlooked WhaL ls lmporLanL Lhough ls LhaL labor proLecLlon and compensaLlon laws need Lo be
sLrengLhened ln aklsLan and Lhls occupaLlon needs Lo be made as safe as posslble so LhaL Lragedles
such as Murad's do noL occur as ofLen as Lhey now do Source aklsLan 1oday

1urkey
8urnL cables
Cables from Lhe shlps are lllegally burnL ln Lhe early mornlng When burnL hlghly dangerous fumes llke
dloxlns and furans are released uloxlns are Lhe mosL Loxlc subsLances humans have ever released lnLo
Lhe envlronmenL
AsbesLos
AsbesLos conLalnlng maLerlals (blue whlLe and brown) are lylng all over Lhe shlpbreaklng slLe Also aL
Lhe open dumpslLe where vlllagers from nearby seLLlemenLs are searchlng for valuable maLerlals
Allaga
1hls ls Allaga 1urkey around 30 km norLh of lzmlr aL Lhe Aegean coasL And alLhough 1urkey ls an CLCu
counLry Lhe envlronmenLal and worklng condlLlons are very slmllar Lo Lhe shlpbreaklng counLrles ln
Asla Shlpbreaklng ln Allaga began ln mld 70s and offlclally ln 1984 when Lhe lmporL of shlpforscrap
was allowed accordlng Lo llberallsaLlon measures of LhaL Llme
Sea 8elruL
An lmporLanL shlpbreaklng example ln 1urkey ls Lhe Sea 8elruL 1urkey wanLs lrance Lo Lake back Lhls
shlp under Lhe same 8asel ConvenLlon ln 1urkey Lhe lmporL of Loxlc shlpsforscrap ls noL allowed
(Source Creenpeace webslLe)