Wed Sep 18 01:00:00 UTC 2024: ## Deadly Explosion Exposes Flaws in Shipbreaking Industry, Hong Kong Convention
**Bangladesh** – An explosion on the oil tanker MT Suvarna Swarajya on September 7th, 2024, has tragically claimed the lives of six workers and left four critically injured, highlighting the dangerous and unregulated nature of the shipbreaking industry. The incident occurred at a yard owned by S.N. Corporation, a company with a history of safety violations, despite being certified under the Hong Kong Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships.
Human Rights Watch and the NGO Shipbreaking Platform, in a joint statement, criticize the Hong Kong Convention for its weak safety and environmental standards, arguing that it prioritizes industry profits over worker protection. They claim the certification, granted to S.N. Corporation’s Unit 2 yard by Nippon Kaiji Kyokai, creates a false sense of security.
The organizations highlight the use of middlemen, like Best Oasis, a major cash buyer of ships, to circumvent regulations and send vessels to less regulated yards in countries like Bangladesh. This practice ultimately shields the original ship owners from responsibility for the unsafe conditions prevalent in these shipbreaking yards.
The explosion has prompted Bangladesh authorities to shut down S.N. Corporation’s yard, halt work on the MT Suvarna Swarajya, and launch an official investigation. The Department of Environment has suspended the yard’s environmental clearance and demanded explanations from SN Corporation.
Human Rights Watch and the NGO Shipbreaking Platform call for accountability from all parties involved, including S.N. Corporation, Best Oasis, and the original ship owner, the Shipping Corporation of India. They demand compensation for the injured and families of those killed, as well as the implementation of stronger regulations to prevent future tragedies.
The organizations also urge the international community to reject the Hong Kong Convention’s inadequate standards and prioritize the implementation of stricter regulations, including the enforcement of the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal, which offers a higher level of protection.
The tragic incident serves as a stark reminder of the systemic failures within the shipbreaking industry and the urgent need for meaningful reform to ensure worker safety and environmental protection.
First Piper 