Ship breakers oppose proposed rules

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FE Report
The ship breakers Sunday vehemently opposed the proposed ship breaking rules saying, if implemented, will destroy country's ship breaking industry worth of Tk 49 billion.
The government recently finalised draft rules styled ship breaking and waste management rules -2010 incorporating some stringent provisions for the ship breaking industry.
The ship breakers, however, sought intervention of Prime Minister in this connection and thus paving the way for smooth operation of the industry.
"We've studied draft rules. We think that ship breaking industry will instantly breathe its last after introduction of the rules," said Zafar Alam, president of Bangladesh Ship Breakers Association (BSBA).
The BSBA held a press conference on the draft rules at the Dhaka Reporters' Unity (DRU) Sunday.
Under the proposed rules, ship breakers will require seven months to take permission from environment office for purchasing old vessels.
"We open letter of credits within 24 hours of negotiation with sellers. If we need seven months for obtaining clearance certificate from the environment office, then how will we survive?" Mr Zafar added.
BSBA leaders alleged that the government finalised the rules as per the advice of a foreign funded NGO (non-government organisation).
"There is an unholy axis working against the industry. They are also making negative propaganda against it," said Mr Zafar.
As per statistics provided by vested NGOs, at least 52 workers die in the ship breaking fields a year.
But as per statistics by Sitakunda police station, the average death toll in the yards is seven workers a year during 2003 to 2008.
OSHE, an NGO working on the deaths in ship breaking and ship building fields said the average death in the fields is around 10 a year.
The ship breakers also said the draft rules have incorporated some criminal provisions aiming at closing down the industry.
"We think that none will invest in the sector after implementation of the rules with criminal provisions," Mr Zafar added.
Ship breaking yards contribute largely to the country's steel sector as it supplies a significant portion of raw materials for steel.
As per the BSBA, it supplies around 2.0 million tonnes of scraps for the country's around 200 re-rolling mills.
The ship breaking industry located in Chittagong has employed around 2.5 million people both directly and indirectly.
Mr Zafar asked: "How the ship breaking does hamper the environment?"
"I did not see any impact on the environment over the last 40 years following existence of the ship breaking industry," he added.
He said the government did not conduct any survey on whether ship breaking is polluting the environment.
The ship breaking began in 1961 at the Sitakunda area. It was the largest industry in the world during 2008-09 fiscal beating India.