Platform News – Fire on Greek ship raises death toll in Pakistan
Another catastrophic fire shakes Gadani shipbreaking yards
Five more shipbreaking workers were killed and one injured in yet another fire that took place in the shipbreaking yards of Gadani, Pakistan, yesterday morning. The deadly fire broke out on board of the beached vessel GAZ FOUNTAIN (IMO 8406054). The LPG tanker’s last beneficial owner was the Greek shipping line Naftomar. The vessel’s name was changed to RAIN and its Panama flag swapped for the end-of-life flag Comoros just before the last voyage – a clear indicator of the use of a cash buyer. Shipping newspaper TradeWinds asked cash buyer Wirana for a comment in December, when a first fire had occurred on the same ship. Wirana, one of the world’s largest firms specialised in end-of-life deals, lists Naftomar as a client.
The accident occurred at yard n° 60, owned by Rizwan Diwan Farooq, the former president of the Pakistan Ship Breakers’ Association. According to The Dawn [1], a leading daily newspaper, Farooq was detained after having fled the yard. The newspaper reported that the fire broke out due to a “chemical foam” present in the ship. The local Environment Department said that all combustibles should have been removed before the cutting process started and that the accident signalled serious neglect. No worker was injured in the earlier fire that had broken out on the vessel on 21 December; however, that incident did not result in any further safety measures that could have prevented yesterday’s deadly accident. According to another media source, the bodies of Saeed Khan, Alif Khan, Muhammad Saeed, Sabir and Naimat were sent to their native town of Peshawar on the expense of the victim’s families [2].
Cash buyers such as GMS and Wirana promote their so-called “green” ship recycling services, but both continue to trade vessels to the world’s worst shipbreaking yards. The Platform has shown that these cash buyers sell old ship to yards with appalling accident records, and facilitate dubious deals such as the illegal export of the “North Sea Producer” from the UK to Bangladesh.
On 1 November 2016, at least 27 workers were killed and 58 injured in an explosion on an oil tanker beached at yard n° 54 at Gadani. Four more workers are still missing as their families have not been able to find their bodies in the mortuary. After the catastrophe, the Government stopped work at the shipbreaking yards, and several key persons of the industry were arrested. However, the yards were soon allowed to return to business as usual, and the Government has yet to prove that it will ensure that the Pakistan shipbreaking industry is moved to industrial platforms that can provide necessary safety measures for workers and prevent pollution of the coastal environment.
On 8 January, another worker, the 24 year old Dilshaad, was killed in a separate incident, when a lifeboat crashed down from the SNOWDON (IMO 9112313) [3]. The beached ship’s last beneficial owner was the Zodiac Group, a Monaco and London-based shipping company owned by the Ofer family. Over the last years, the Platform has been able to link severe accidents in Bangladesh to Zodiac vessels being broken on the beach.
In November, Platform member organisation Centre of the Rule of Law, Islamabad (CRoLI), filed a petition in the courts to press for further action and the release of information to which the Government of Pakistan and the Government of the province of Balochistan, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Labour department have to reply to. As a result, the Prime Minister has ordered an inquiry. The Government’s report is yet to be published.
The NGO Shipbreaking Platform is calling for the closure of the Gadani beaching yards and for a move of the industry off the beach to areas that are under strict control, using alternative and safer methods in docks or along piers.
Related news
Press Release – Platform publishes list of ships dismantled worldwide in 2022
In 2022, 292 large tankers, bulkers, floating platforms, cargo- and passenger ships ended up for dirty and dangerous breaking on tidal beaches in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.
... Read MorePlatform News – Maersk involved in illegal toxic waste trafficking
The Maersk-owned floating oil production and storage tanker, North Sea Producer, left the UK in May 2016 and was directly towed to Bangladesh, where it arrived… Read More
Press Release – Surge of accidents at yards owned by Kabir Group in Bangladesh
Since the beginning of 2022, out of the eighteen accidents that shook the Bangladeshi shipbreaking industry, six have taken place at yards owned by Kabir Steel Re-Rolling Mills (KSRM).
... Read MorePlatform publishes South Asia Quarterly Update #12
128 ships were sold for scrap to the South Asian beaches in the first quarter of 2017 [1]. Eleven workers were killed and at least four additional… 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 publishes South Asia Quarterly Update #20
There were a total of 122 ships broken in the third quarter of 2019. Of these, 73 ships were sold to the beaches of South Asia for dirty and dangerous breaking.
... Read MorePlatform News – Performance With Bare Hands (Live) in Brussels
The NGO Shipbreaking Platform invites you to attend the artistic performance With Bare Hands (Live) on Friday 21 June in Brussels (Belgium).
... Read MorePress Release – NGOs and trade unions denounce certification issued to PHP yard by classification society RINA
In October, the PHP Family (Peace Happiness and Prosperity) shipbreaking yard received a Statement of Compliance with the Hong Kong Convention [1] by the Italian classification society… Read More