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.

- RT @Bellona_EU: JOB Opportunity at Bellona Europa! If communication & the environment are your & , we are looking for a Communication…21 hours ago
- RT @IoHadjiyianni: Check out our review article with @Law_UCY alumna Anna Kloni, in Journal of Environmental Law @OxfordJournals, on 'Regul…yesterday
- #Shipbreaking: 5 workers suffered an accident on South Asian beaches in the last quarter of 2020. https://t.co/W1zNr4GKQGyesterday
- RT @ri_montu: The #shipbreaking industry off the #coast of #Bangladesh has disrupted the lives of millions of people in the #Jaldas communi…8 days ago
Related news

Press Release – Seatrade convicted for trafficking toxic ships
Today, the Rotterdam District Court sentenced, on the basis of the EU Waste Shipment Regulation, shipping company Seatrade for the illegal export of vessels sent for scrapping… Read More

Platform News – NGO Shipbreaking Platform presents Annual Report 2016
The NGO Shipbreaking Platform presents its Annual Report 2016. Last year, at least 52 workers lost their lives on the shipbreaking beaches in South Asia. The… 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 – Platform publishes list of ships dismantled worldwide in 2018
744 large ocean-going commercial vessels were sold to the scrap yards in 2018. Of these vessels, 518 were broken down on tidal mudflats in South Asia.
... Read More
Platform News – Indian NGOs voice concerns as ship owners promote beaching
Indian NGOs voice serious concerns regarding the beaching of end-of-life vessels in Alang in reaction to the recent visit to the Alang shipbreaking yards organised by ECSA… Read More

Platform News – Protecting watchdogs across the EU: proposal for an EU anti-SLAPP law
A coalition of non-governmental organisations from across Europe proposes a new EU anti-SLAPP law.
... Read More
Platform News – Violence reaches new level: shipbreaking yard’s private security personnel fire shots and injure seven people
In the morning of 28 March, shipbreaking worker Sumon was killed on a private road inside Kabir Steel yard located North of Bangladesh’s major port city, Chittagong…. Read More

Platform News – Investigations ongoing after Norwegian authorities press charges against owners of Harrier
The HARRIER is still under arrest in Norway after its owners failed to illegally set sail for the dangerous and dirty scrapping yards in Gadani, Pakistan, last… Read More