zoomImage Courtesy: IMO

In an effort to make the country’s ship-recycling facilities greener and more sustainable, the Government of Bangladesh is seeking international partnerships and financial support.

The move follows the completion of the first phase of a project aimed at improving safety and environmental standards within the country’s ship-recycling industry.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO), the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh and the Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions (BRS) have jointly implemented the 30-month “Safe and Environmentally Sound Ship Recycling in Bangladesh – phase I” (SENSREC project).

SENSREC project included the completion economic and environmental studies on the ship-recycling industry in Bangladesh, studies on managing hazardous materials, refining the Government One-Stop Service, developing training materials, and preparing a document for a follow-up phase 2 to implement the recommendations of the first phase.

The second phase of the project is expected to focus on constructing a dedicated waste-management facility for treating, storing and disposing of the hazardous waste (TSDF), as well as rolling out a comprehensive training programme aimed at workers in ship recycling yards, supervisors and government officials.

With an annual gross tonnage capacity of more than 8.8 million, the Bangladeshi ship recycling industry is one of the world’s most important, second only to neighbouring India in terms of volume.

The successful completion of the first phase of SENSREC is expected to assist Bangladesh in working towards accession to IMO’s Hong Kong Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships and towards meeting the international standards stipulated by the Convention.