The NGO Shipbreaking Platform is a global coalition of 17 environmental and human rights organisations advocating for sustainable ship recycling worldwide, and working to reverse the environmental and human rights abuses caused by current shipbreaking practices on the beaches of South Asia. 

 

More than 70 percent of end-of-life vessels end up in South Asia, where they are broken down under rudimentary conditions on the beaches of Alang-Sosiya in India, Chattogram in Bangladesh, and Gadani in Pakistan - a practice known as ‘beaching’. The human and environmental impacts of the shipbreaking industry are devastating. The industry is even considered by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) as one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. 

 

Shipbreaking workers, often exploited migrants, lose their lives on accidents or suffer severe injuries, such as burns, amputations and serious spinal injuries, due to unsafe working conditions. The shipbreaking workers are also vulnerable to occupational diseases due to the exposure to toxic substances embedded within the ships’ structures, including asbestos, PCBs and heavy metals. Asbestos is one of the most common and most hazardous materials found onboard ships. When extracted, it breaks into fine fibres, which can be suspended in the air for long periods of time. If inhaled, the fibres can lead to fatal diseases such as lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis.

 

Since 2009, 8078 ships were beached in South Asia with a recorded data of 449 deaths and 404 injuries. The figures on accidents are likely to be much higher, and occupational diseases are not even registered in these statistics and are difficult to monitor.

 

We are now calling for your support! You can make a difference in the livelihoods of shipbreaking workers in Bangladesh. Your donation will be used to help injured workers and asbestos victims.

 

 

PLEASE DONATE TODAY AND HELP MAKE A DIFFERENCE

 

Every little bit helps!

 

€20/ $21
Provides one worker suffering from asbestosis with daily treatment for one month, including medication and pulmonary rehabilitation, to relieve mild to moderate symptoms.

 

€30 / $32
Helps one injured worker to have access to the services provided by the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralyzed (CRP) in Chattogram, Bangladesh.

 

€50 / $53
Guarantees emergency help to one worker with severe symptoms of asbestosis.

 

€60/ $64
Allows for 1 month vocational training.
6 months training: €36O
Helps a family of an injured worker to subsist during the duration of the vocational training.

 

Please put reference “FUNDRAISING SHIPBREAKING” on your communication when making the donation. Once the donation has been made, we would really appreciate if you could send us an e-mail with your full name and donation amount.

 

If you need further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.

 

Thank you for your support!

 

DONATE by PayPal (click our orange donate button) or by Bank Transfer

 

ING Bank - IBAN: BE 66 3630 0892 4343 - SWIFT/BIC: BBRUBEBB

NGO Shipbreaking Platform, Rue de la Liniere 11, 1060 Brussels, Belgium

 

 

Thanks to the longstanding collaboration with our partners in Bangladesh, we have already been able to reach out and directly help some shipbreaking workers, one of the categories most impacted by unsafe and dangerous shipbreaking operations. This is the story of one of them. 

 

Sohrab grew up in a humble family of five and was only 21 years old when he lost his leg following a serious accident on a scrapped ship. After working at the yards for four years, on September 14 2017,  Sohrab was hit by a falling iron plate, which amputated his leg. He was rushed to Chattogram’s Medical College hospital, but doctors were not able to save his limb. Up until this day, despite the promises from the yard owner, he has received no compensation for his severe injury. Sohrab, however, has recently received a trans-tibial prosthesis at the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed in Chattogram thanks to charitable giving. With our contribution, Sohrab has been able to cover the necessary logistical costs to receive his treatment, such as transportation, accommodation and food. As Sohrab, many workers are suffering due to the yard owners’ negligence related to working safety standards.