NOTES

[1] Four main Maersk claims that Danwatch has proven wrong:

- According to Maersk, its environmental recycling plan foresees that most of the vessel is dismantled without the ship parts being in contact with sand or water. The Platform and other critics have been arguing that the facilities lack large industrial cranes that can be deployed along the side of the ship. Cut sections therefore need to crash down onto the beach and the intertidal zone. During their research at Shree Ram, the journalists found cut sections that had been dropped into the intertidal zone, and were even cut down right on the sand. The claim of ‘no contact between cut parts and sand or water’ remains a myth. Apart from the negative environmental impact of the gravity method, Maersk does not at all address the scraping of toxic paints during the beaching process and the release of heavy metals, such as copper, into the environment.

- Maersk claims that appropriate protective equipment is available and mandatory to use. While the journalists have not checked whether PPEs are available, they have found that adequate protective equipment is simply not used. Workers welding and torch-cutting at Shree Ram were found wearing highly inflammable cotton T-shirt, inadequate or no respiratory protection, no goggles and no hearing protection. The investigations have found that the Maersk supervision on the ground is unable to ensure basic occupational health and safety measures.

- The journalists interviewed ten workers that are employed at Shree Ram. They workers have clearly identified that they work on the demolition of the Maersk Georgia and the Maersk Wyoming. None of them had a contract or any written document concerning their employment relationship. None of the men were aware of their rights. Maersk claims that all Shree Ram workers have contracts and has not been willing to respond to the findings.

- Maersk is aware of the fact that not all of Shree Ram workers are offered decent housing. The shipping giant has accepted this situation when selling the Maersk Wyoming and the Maersk Georgia without demanding basic infrastructure for workers as a precondition for doing business. Similarly, Maersk accepts the lack of a proper hospital at Alang where severe injuries could be treated.