Press Release – Fire on board Greek tanker kills two shipbreaking workers in Bangladesh
Today, a fire broke out in the engine room on board a tanker, beached in Chittagong, killing two workers.
Md Jamil, 23 years old cutter man, and Bipul lost their lives while scrapping the ship GREEK WARRIOR (IMO 9191412) at Shagorika Ship Breaking Yard. According to local media, Jamil was burned and rushed to Chittagong Medical College Hospital. He died before reaching the hospital. The body of Bipul was discovered on board only few hours later. Shagorika yard and RA Shipbreaking yard, which has been recently under the spotlight for the purchase of Nordic America Tankers’ NORDIC SPRITE, share the same ownership.
The tanker GREEK WARRIOR was sold to Bangladeshi breakers by Greek company Polembros Shipping in 2018. In the last ten years, Polembros sent at least 24 end-of-life ships to South Asian beaches. Half of them reached the shores of Bangladesh, where unscrupulous shipping companies keep exploiting minimal enforcement of environmental and safety rules to maximise profits. With more than 900 vessels beached since 2009, Greek owners top the list of global dumpers by far.
The vessel changed name, from GREEK WARRIOR to S WARRIOR, and flag, from Panama to Palau, before its final voyage. According to maritime databases, the cash buyer involved in the sale was Prayati Shipping Pvt. Ltd, based in Mumbai, India. Prayati Shipping offers different types of services, including demolition voyage management. All vessels sold to the beaching yards pass through the hands of cash buyers. In this way, ship owners attempt to shield themselves from responsibility, and are paid upfront the highest market price in cash for their end-of-life vessels by the dealers. To reduce costs and avoid being held accountable, cash buyers change a vessel’s flag to one of the typical last-voyage flags of convenience, such as Comoros, Palau and St Kitts and Nevis. Cash buyers also register the vessel under a new name and a new post box company, rendering it very difficult for authorities to trace and hold cash buyers and ship owners accountable for illicit business practices.
Related news
Press Release – NGOs urge Greece and Bangladesh to stop illegal beaching of ferry
Yet another passenger ship is heading towards the shipbreaking beaches of South Asia, in clear violation of European rules that are aimed at preventing the trade of… Read More

Press Release – Controversial Tide Carrier under arrest in Norway
After having been informed by the NGO Shipbreaking Platform and its member organisation Bellona that the TIDE CARRIER (now named HARRIER, aka EIDE CARRIER) had been… Read More
Platform publishes South Asia Quarterly Update #17
There were a total of 113 ships broken in the third quarter of 2018. Of these, 79 ships were sold to the beaches of South Asia for… Read More

Platform News – NGOs maintain pressure on owners and scrap dealers of FPSO North Sea Producer
16 August of last year the FPSO NORTH SEA PRODUCER was beached in Chittagong, Bangladesh. The ship was allowed to leave the UK based on the… Read More
Press Release – UAE takes important steps towards sustainable ship recycling
Set to take effect from June 2025, UAE new legislation brings about a ban on the beaching and landing of UAE-flagged vessels as well as all foreign vessels leaving or transiting through UAE waters enroute to scrap yards.
... Read More
Platform publishes South Asia Quarterly Update #32
Eight workers suffered an accident on South Asian beaches in the last quarter of 2022.
... Read More
Press Release – Platform publishes list of ships dismantled worldwide in 2021
763 ocean-going commercial ships and floating offshore units were sold to the scrap yards in 2021. Of these, 583 ended up on the beaches of South Asia, amounting to near the totality of the gross tonnage dismantled globally.
... Read More