Bangladesh’s Shipbreaking Industry Struggles with Safety Despite Global Convention
When the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships (HKC) finally entered into force in June 2025, Bangladesh’s shipbreaking sector was hailed as stepping into a new era of accountability and safer working conditions. The ratification of the Convention in 2023 had raised high expectations that one of the world’s most dangerous industries would at last begin to shed its grim record of workplace accidents and fatalities. Yet only months after the treaty became binding, the ground reality in Chattogram’s shipbreaking yards tells a far darker story.
In the first week of September alone, two serious accidents were reported in Chattogram. On September 3, a worker at Chittagong Steel’s yard suffered severe head injuries after an equipment failure and remained in intensive care for three days at Chattogram Medical College and Hospital. Barely four days later, on September 7, another accident took place at Jamuna yard, where a worker was badly injured while cutting metal plates from a decommissioned vessel. These incidents came just weeks after a devastating blast at King Steel’s yard in August that left two workers with serious burns, underlining the persistent dangers faced by the thousands of laborers who dismantle ships under perilous conditions.
For many labor rights groups and international observers, these tragedies reveal a disturbing disconnect between the promises of international law and the reality of implementation in Bangladesh. The HKC was designed to address precisely these risks by mandating higher safety standards, better worker training, and effective waste management in shipbreaking yards. But critics argue that without strong enforcement, the Convention risks becoming little more than a symbolic gesture in Bangladesh, which dismantles the majority of the world’s end-of-life ships.
Ashutosh Bhattacharya, IndustriALL South Asia regional secretary, expressed deep concern over the recurring accidents. “The industry must move beyond paper compliance and ensure that shipbreaking yards truly become safe workspaces,” he said. “Without genuine commitment from employers, effective government inspection and strong worker participation, Bangladesh’s shipbreaking industry will remain among the world’s deadliest industries despite the historic ratification of the Hong Kong Convention.”
The statistics are sobering. Over the past decade, hundreds of shipbreaking workers in Bangladesh have died in accidents, while thousands more have been injured. Explosions, falling steel plates, toxic chemical exposure, and inadequate safety gear have made shipbreaking one of the most hazardous occupations in the country. The industry, concentrated in Chattogram, employs more than 30,000 people directly and sustains tens of thousands more through related activities such as steel re-rolling mills, transport, and local commerce. The stakes are high not only for worker safety but also for Bangladesh’s reputation as a global hub for ship recycling.
On September 10, IndustriALL Global Union convened a roundtable in Chattogram, bringing together affiliated unions, government officials, and representatives of the Bangladesh Shipbreakers and Recyclers Association (BSRA). The meeting highlighted the urgent need for systemic reforms and placed special emphasis on the inclusion of trade unions in the governance of the industry. Participants argued that workers, who bear the brunt of the risks, must have a voice in shaping safety policies and monitoring compliance.
The roundtable put forward several key demands, including the creation of a comprehensive worker database, ensuring the right to access safety-related information, and the recognition of trade union rights. At present, unionization in the shipbreaking sector is minimal due to regulatory hurdles and employer resistance. Affiliates of IndustriALL continue to advocate for registering unions under the group of establishments model, as well as the establishment of a dedicated trade union registration office in Chattogram to simplify the process.
Walton Pantland, IndustriALL’s shipbuilding and shipbreaking director, warned that unless reforms are urgently implemented, the industry could lose its competitive edge. “The safety crisis in shipbreaking needs to be addressed urgently. The reputation of Bangladesh as a safe destination for end-of-life ships is on the line and if the situation does not improve, the industry will lose out to competing countries,” he said. “The best way to improve the situation is to involve workers through joint health and safety committees.”
Pantland’s remarks underscore the global implications of Bangladesh’s domestic failures. The international shipping industry is watching closely to see whether the country can deliver on the commitments it made under the HKC. If not, shipowners may increasingly turn to other recycling destinations such as India or Turkey, which have made greater progress in aligning with international standards.
The Bangladesh Shipbreakers and Recyclers Association, representing the employers, has also begun to acknowledge the gravity of the situation. At the Chattogram roundtable, association representatives expressed support for new initiatives aimed at strengthening worker protection. One such initiative involves discussions between IndustriALL, the International Labour Organization (ILO), and the German development agency GIZ to launch a pilot programme on social security and employment injury benefits for shipbreaking workers. This programme would be modeled on the employment injury insurance scheme recently introduced in the ready-made garment sector, which provides workers with compensation and support in case of workplace accidents.
Employers have urged the government to expedite the rollout of such schemes, recognizing that sustained safety failures could erode both investor confidence and Bangladesh’s international standing. However, for many labor advocates, employer support must translate into concrete changes in daily operations, from providing proper safety gear to enforcing rigorous training and inspection regimes.
The challenges are immense. Shipbreaking in Bangladesh is still largely carried out manually, with workers using blowtorches and hammers to dismantle massive vessels piece by piece. Hazardous substances such as asbestos, heavy metals, and residual fuel oils are common, and workers often lack both the training and the equipment to handle them safely. While the HKC lays out clear standards for handling toxic materials and protecting workers, enforcement has been patchy, with inspections often hampered by resource constraints and, in some cases, corruption.
For workers like those injured this month, the cost of inaction is measured in lives and livelihoods. Many of the laborers are migrants from poor rural areas, working for daily wages with little to no safety net. An accident can plunge an entire family into crisis, and without adequate social protection, recovery is often impossible. The proposed employment injury insurance pilot is therefore seen as a crucial step, but unions insist that prevention through stronger safety measures must remain the first priority.
The entry into force of the Hong Kong Convention was supposed to mark a turning point for Bangladesh’s shipbreaking industry, signaling to the world that the country was ready to shed its reputation as a graveyard for ships and workers alike. Yet, as the spate of recent accidents shows, legal ratification alone cannot save lives. What is needed is a fundamental cultural shift—one that places human safety above short-term profits and integrates workers as partners in creating safer yards.
Until then, Bangladesh’s shipbreaking industry remains caught in a dangerous paradox: celebrated abroad for its role in global recycling, but feared at home for the deadly risks it continues to impose on its workers. The world is watching, and unless real change takes root soon, the industry risks not only its workforce but also its future.
Author: shipping inbox
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