SHIPBREAKING
A DIRTY AND DANGEROUS INDUSTRY
SHIPBREAKING
A DIRTY AND DANGEROUS INDUSTRY
SHIPBREAKING
A DIRTY AND DANGEROUS INDUSTRY
The NGO Shipbreaking Platform is a global coalition of organisations working to reverse the environmental harm and human rights abuses caused by current shipbreaking practices and to ensure the safe and environmentally sound dismantling of end-of-life ships worldwide.
Just as the goods they transport, ships too become waste when they reach the end of their operational lives. Yet only a fraction is handled in a safe and clean manner. The vast majority of the world's end-of-life fleet, full of toxic substances, is simply broken down - by hand - on the beaches of South Asia. There, unscrupulous shipping companies exploit minimal enforcement of environmental and safety rules to maximise profits.
A GLOBAL ISSUE
Exporters of toxic ships
Ship owners from East Asia and Europe top the list of dumpers that sell ships for breaking on South Asian beaches.
Shipbreaking countries
In Bangladesh, India and Pakistan ships are broken apart directly on the beach instead of in an industrial site: a practice known as "beaching".
Since 2009:
SPOTLIGHT
The Toxic Tide – 2023 Shipbreaking Records
2023 shipbreaking records: most shipping companies continue to opt for the highest price at the worst scrapping yards.
... Read MoreWhere ships go to die – Winner of the Public Eye Investigation Award
Decommissioned deep-sea vessels are floating toxic waste. Their disposal is laborious and costly, and regarded as a menace by those who want to protect both the workers… Read More
Newsroom
Press Release – MSC urged to align its operations with international environmental and labour rights standards and stop dumping its toxic waste on South Asian beaches
In the last six months only, MSC scrapped 9 ships on the beach of Alang in India – 27 in the last two years,
... Read MorePlatform publishes South Asia Quarterly Update #39
Eighteen workers suffered an accident on South Asian beaches in the third quarter of 2024.
... Read MorePress Release – Ship Recycling Lab’s 2nd Edition: when ethical leadership and cutting edge technology meet, sustainable ship recycling is on the horizon!
Over 100 participants met in Lisbon on 9-10 October.
... Read MorePress Release – Fatal accident at Işıksan shipyard in İzmir
Four workers were directly affected by the gas exposure. Tragically, one of them lost his life.
... Read MorePress Release – Bangladesh: ship explosion exposes regulatory failures
Deadly accident in a yard with Hong Kong Convention certification claims six lives.
... Read MorePlatform publishes South Asia Quarterly Update #38
Four workers suffered an accident on South Asian beaches in the second quarter of 2024.
... Read More