SHIPBREAKING

A DIRTY AND DANGEROUS INDUSTRY

SHIPBREAKING

A DIRTY AND DANGEROUS INDUSTRY

SHIPBREAKING

A DIRTY AND DANGEROUS INDUSTRY

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NGO_Shipbreaking

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.

Ship owners from East Asia and Europe top the list of dumpers that sell ships for breaking on South Asian beaches.

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:

 

8221
SHIPS BEACHED
474
DEATHS
520
INJURIES

SPOTLIGHT

The Toxic Tide – 2024 Shipbreaking Records

2024 shipbreaking records: most shipping companies continue to opt for the highest price at the worst scrapping yards.

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Ship recycling in Aliağa under the spotlight

NGOs call on Turkey and the EU to bring needed change and transition the sector towards dry docks.

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Bangladesh: shipping firms profit from labour abuse

A new report released by Human Rights Watch and the NGO Shipbreaking Platform uncovers the human and environmental costs of shipbreaking in Bangladesh.

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Where 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

Brussels, Dec 15th 2025

Press Release – Ship recycling can and should boost circularity, sustainable transition, and creation of green jobs in the EU steel and recycling sectors

The NGO Shipbreaking Platform, Recycling Europe, and EUROFER publish a joint statement calling the EU for a recognition of the strategic importance of the European ship recycling… Read More

Brussels, Nov 28th 2025

Platform News – Workshop on Best Available Techniques in ship recycling held at University of Strathclyde, followed by a visit to Kishorn Dry Dock

The NGO Shipbreaking Platform successfully organised a workshop on Best Available Techniques (BAT) in ship recycling at the Technology and Innovation Centre, University of Strathclyde, followed by… Read More

Brussels, Nov 21st 2025

Press Release – EU urged to halt approvals of hazardous shipbreaking facilities in Aliağa, Turkey

    Turkish and European civil society is urging the EU to revoke the approvals of ship recycling yards that put workers and the environment at risk. In… Read More

Brussels, Nov 18th 2025

Press Release – Ship scrap steel can help decarbonise European steelmaking, highlights a new report

NGO Shipbreaking Platform, in collaboration with Sandbag – Smarter Climate Policy and the University of Tuscia, publishes a thorough report on the role of scrap steel from… Read More

Brussels, Nov 16th 2025

Platform News – EU Circular Economy Act: ship recycling can help decarbonise the EU’s steel and construction sectors

With a significant number of ships expected to reach the end of their service life in the coming years, ship recycling presents a strategic opportunity for Europe… Read More

Brussels, Oct 27th 2025

Platform publishes South Asia Quarterly Update #43

Fifteen workers suffered an accident on South Asian beaches in the third quarter of 2025.

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Brussels, Oct 21st 2025

Press Release – Marinakis’ tanker beached in Bangladesh amid Greek government indifference

A recent Reporters United’s investigation unveils the illegal end-of-life sale of TRADER III — a tanker linked to Greek magnate Vangelis Marinakis and cash buyer GMS.

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Brussels, Sep 02nd 2025

Press Release – From refurbishment promise to scrapping threat: the Moby Drea controversy

The Italian-flagged ferry MOBY DREA, which left Genoa in July after its owner assured Italian authorities it would be refurbished in Croatia and returned to service, is now… Read More