Bangladesh claims pole position in ship breaking

It is reported that Bangladesh will be the main beneficiary of the new United Nations ship recycling treaty signed late last week, as it would cement the country's position as the world's leading ship-breaker and create thousands of new jobs. Officials said that the country joined 62 other nations in signing the International Maritime Organization's landmark Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, designed to make ship-breaking hazard free.
Mr Commodore Bazlur Rahman director general of Department of Shipping said that "It's a big achievement for us. This treaty will regulate our ship breaking industry, make it more environment and labor friendly and will also spur its growth in the country."
Mr Rahman said the convention would help transfer technical know-how to Bangladeshi ship-breakers who often rely on traditional technology to dismantle some of the world's largest ships.
He said the agreement calls for ship recycling workers to wear protective gear and for recycling centers to properly dispose of hazardous waste and prepare emergency response plans.
Mr Enam Ahmed who represented Bangladesh Ship Breakers Association in the IMO convention last week said the treaty would guarantee Bangladesh's growth as the world's leading ship-breaker. He said it's a landmark convention as far as benefits of the Bangladesh ship-breakers are concerned. It makes the retirement of all single hull oil tankers and cargo ships by 2010 a must.
Mr Ahmed said "As a result, globally more than 1,000 ships would be retired every year from 2010. It will bring down cost of scrap ships to a great extent. Our ship-breakers can be able to purchase more ships and keep the prices of rods down in the domestic market."
Bangladesh has more than 30 ship breaking yards along the 5 kilometers coastline at Sitakundu in Chittagong. Every year they dismantle some 120 big ships, making up some 45% of the large ships sent into retirement.