A breathtaking drama of destruction and rebirth unfolds at the gloomy “shipbreaking yards” Here, disused ships that once transported our bananas and clothes around the world as mega freighters reach their sad end, while fake certificates and undiscovered toxins reveal the dark secrets of this industry. But that is only the beginning.
In Bangladesh, around 800 ocean giants are dismantled and “recycled” every year, a haunting sight that reveals the fragility of our environment and the depths of humanity.
In a scene characterized by hardship and privation, workers work on the huge ships with their bare hands and the simplest tools. Most come from rural areas in the north of the country and travel alone to Chittagong to send their hard-earned money to their families. They put their lives at risk under extremely low wages and dangerous conditions, often without any protective clothing. The ship's walls are cut with welding torches, crushed, fall down and are carried away at low tide. There are always dangers lurking: workers can slip, injure themselves on sharp edges or be hit by falling parts. There is a risk of gas explosions in the depths of the ships. According to statistics, at least one person loses their life here every week, but the number of unreported cases is probably much higher, as many workers - including children and young people - die from poisoning or infections. You are at the mercy of dangerous vapors and substances. The area around the “shipbreaking yards” is contaminated due to a lack of safety precautions: toxic substances are often transported away immediately and pollute the beach and sediments. In addition, estuaries and groundwater suffer greatly as pollutants are washed inland by the tides. Only a few shipyards have collection systems to bind mineral oil, heavy metals and asbestos and dispose of them on site.
Without adequate facilities for storage and disposal of hazardous waste in the Chittagong region, the toxins from the dismantled ships are simply dumped into the second-hand market, resold or resold to international and domestic buyers. These uncontrolled practices cause additional harm to surrounding communities that are already suffering the effects. The old steel is used to build bridges and buildings. On the other hand, the fact that 95% of a ship is recycled implies a “green cycle”: furniture and old oil are pumped out, removed and resold. But the side effects for the environment and the population are serious.
The costs and benefits are unevenly distributed. Traces of oil and asbestos dust do not reach Europe's beaches. And as long as that remains the case, there will be no interest in finding a fairer solution. The price for the “Western” consumption model, which is based on unlimited availability, is paid by the countries of the global south, which have no real choice as to whether they want to participate in this trade or not.
The companies that benefit from shipbreaking through low disposal costs try to shield their coastal areas with gates and walls. Human rights activists are campaigning for improved working conditions in the “Shipbreaking Yards”. The documentaries “Iron Eater” and “Toxic Tanker Scrap for Bangladesh” shed light on the problems and the involvement of German shipping companies.
Reflagging is a central method for circumventing legal regulations in ship recycling. European shipping companies have their ships sailing under foreign flags, often from non-EU countries, to avoid strict EU regulations. These “flags of convenience” often come from Caribbean island nations such as St. Kitts and Nevis. Through this practice, shipping companies save the costs of compliant scrapping, pay taxes to the flag states and circumvent ship recycling regulations.
The effects are alarming: the reflagging of ships outside the EU is widespread, so that in 2007 around half of the ships of European shipping companies were sailing under non-European flags. The environment near the beach wharves will also be permanently damaged. To expand the shipyards, mangrove forests are often cut down to free the beach for ship skeletons. The toxic substances from the ships, which seep unhindered into the sand, also destroy the local biodiversity. The pollution is even visible on satellite images. In Chittagong, the largest ship-breaking yard in Bangladesh, traces of oil stretch for kilometers into the Gulf of Bengal, the effects of which on the sea can only be imagined. The operators of the ships benefit from the low disposal costs, while the employees and the environment in the global south have to bear the negative consequences. At the same time, the economic benefits of scrapping cannot be ignored. Bangladesh is largely dependent on the steel “obtained” through scrapping
And until this unfortunate reality changes, we will not only be concealing the true costs of our consumer habits, but we will also be sacrificing countless lives at the altar of profit and convenience. The dark shadows of the Shipbreaking Yards will continue to roam the innocent lives on the fringes of society as we turn a blind eye on our home turf to the devastation our consumer choices cause elsewhere. But we can no longer look away or ignore the consequences of our actions. It is time for us as a society to take responsibility and fight for a fairer and more sustainable future - a future in which neither the environment nor human lives are sacrificed at the altar of profit and where young people and children are deprived of their childhood .
