In the grim shipbreaking yards of the port, a breathtaking drama of destruction and rebirth unfolds. Here, decommissioned vessels that once transported our bananas and clothes around the world as mega-freighters meet their sad end, while forged certificates and undiscovered toxins reveal the dark secrets of this industry. But this 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 human depravity.
In a scene marked by hardship and deprivation, workers toil with their bare hands and the simplest of tools on the enormous ships. Most come from rural areas in the north of the country and travel alone to Chittagong to send their hard-earned money home to their families. Working for extremely low wages and under dangerous conditions, often without any protective clothing, they risk their lives. The ship hulls are cut with blowtorches, crushed, and toppled over before being hauled away at low tide. Danger lurks constantly: workers can slip, injure themselves on sharp edges, or be struck by falling debris. Gas explosions threaten in the depths of the ships. According to statistics, at least one person loses their life here every week, but the actual number is likely much higher, as many workers—including children and teenagers—die from poisoning or infections. They are completely exposed to the dangerous fumes and substances. The area surrounding shipbreaking yards is contaminated due to inadequate safety precautions: Toxic substances are often transported away immediately, polluting beaches and sediments. Furthermore, river mouths and groundwater suffer severely, as the pollutants are washed inland by the tides. Only a few shipyards have containment systems to bind and dispose of mineral oil, heavy metals, and asbestos on-site.
Without adequate facilities for storing and disposing of hazardous waste in the Chittagong area, the toxic substances from the dismantled ships are simply dumped on the secondhand market, resold, or sold again to international and domestic buyers. These uncontrolled practices cause additional damage to the surrounding communities, which are already suffering the consequences. The old steel is used for the construction of bridges and buildings. The fact that 95% of a ship is recycled in this way implies a “green cycle”: furniture and used oil are pumped out, removed, and resold. However, the side effects for the environment and the local population are significant.
The costs and benefits are unequally distributed. Oil spills and asbestos dust don't reach Europe's beaches. And as long as that remains the case, there will be no interest in 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 about whether or not they want to participate in this trade.
Companies that profit from shipbreaking through low disposal costs attempt 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 key method for circumventing legal regulations regarding ship recycling. European shipping companies register their vessels under foreign flags, often from non-EU countries, to bypass strict EU regulations. These "flags of convenience" frequently originate from Caribbean island nations such as St. Kitts and Nevis. Through this practice, shipping companies save the costs of proper scrapping, pay taxes to the flag states, and circumvent ship recycling regulations.
The consequences are alarming: Re-flagged ships outside the EU is widespread, so much so that as early as 2007, around half of the ships belonging to European shipping companies sailed under non-European flags. The environment near the beachfront shipyards is also suffering lasting damage. To expand the shipyards, mangrove forests are often cleared to make way for the ship skeletons. The toxic substances released by the ships, which seep unchecked into the sand, also destroy local biodiversity. The pollution is even visible in satellite images. In Chittagong, Bangladesh's largest shipbreaking yard, for example, oil slicks stretch for kilometers into the Bay of Bengal, the effects of which on the sea can only be guessed at. The ship operators profit from the low disposal costs, while the workers and the environment in the Global South bear the brunt of the negative consequences. At the same time, the economic benefits of scrapping ships cannot be ignored. Bangladesh is largely dependent on the steel that is “obtained” through shipbreaking
And as long as this regrettable reality remains unchanged, we not only obscure the true cost of our consumption habits, but also sacrifice countless human lives on the altar of profit and convenience. The dark shadows of shipbreaking yards will continue to loom over innocent lives on the margins of society, while we close our eyes 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 face up to our responsibility and fight for a more just and sustainable future – a future in which neither the environment nor human lives are sacrificed on the altar of profit, and where children and young people are robbed of their childhood.
