Contamination
Shipbreaking activities pollute the soil, sea and rivers. Local fishing and agriculture as a livelihood are almost impossible. Samples taken from Asian yards show contamination with high levels of mineral oil and toxic substances. According to western standards enough to warrant clean-up actions.
No rules
Hazardous waste materials from the ships are widely distributed. In most
shipbreaking nations proper waste management is absent. There are no rules
and regulations. And if there are, very often there is a great lack of control.
Permanent danger
Hundreds of people at the shipbreaking yards endure hard physical labour.
They work in permanent danger. Steel plates and pieces fall off the ships.
On board gasses cause fires and explosions. Many workers are injured or
even killed
by the physical hazards. Main causes of death are fire/explosion, hit
by materials falling, falls, suffocation and inhaling CO2.
Toxic fumes
The shipbreaking workers are permanently exposed to toxic substances. They
breathe toxic fumes and asbestos dust. Not only on the job, but also in
the sleeping quarters nearby. One out of four Alang-workers
is expected to contract cancer due to workplace poisons. This makes the
industry amongst the most deadly in the world.
ILO guidelines
In November 2002 the ILO decided to revise, review and adopt 'Guidelines
on safety and health in shipbreaking'. The ILO will do so in a special meeting
in May 2003. The draft guidelines are available at the ILO website (pdf).
Human rights
In December 2002 the International Federation for Human Rights (IFDH) published
a new report (pdf).
'Where do the floating dustbins end up?' is about the bad human rights situation
of workers at the shipbreaking yards in Asia.
Remarkable ships Pacific Princess ('Love Boat') is on the Greenpeace list. More remarkable ships...
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Contamination