Data Reveals Majority of Global Tonnage Scrapped Under Substandard Conditions

The global coalition of organisations, NGO Shipbreaking Platform, has published its 2024 annual list of ships dismantled worldwide, shedding light on the grim reality of shipbreaking practices. 

According to the report, a staggering 80% of the global tonnage scrapped last year was broken under substandard conditions on the beaches of Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan. 

In 2024, a total of 409 ships were dismantled globally, with 255 of them ending up in South Asian yards. Bangladesh, despite the severe consequences for workers, local communities, and fragile coastal ecosystems, remains the shipping industry’s preferred destination for scrapping vessels. 

The NGO Shipbreaking Platform’s report also reveals the dire working conditions. Nine workers lost their lives while dismantling ships in South Asia in 2024, and another 45 workers were injured due to unsafe working practices.

China has once again topped the 2024 Dumpers List, just as it did in 2023, with over fifty Chinese vessels sold to South Asian shipbreakers, primarily in Bangladesh. This situation persists despite China’s ban on the import of waste and the country's capacity to recycle ships in dry-dock facilities. 

Beaching is forbidden in China, yet the NGO Shipbreaking Platform's report shows that more than a dozen vessels were also beached by shipping companies headquartered in Russia, Switzerland, the Philippines, and South Korea.

The NGO Shipbreaking Platform is calling on the European Union to strengthen its EU Ship Recycling Regulation with new proposals. The report criticises the Hong Kong Convention, set to enter into force in June this year, for its perceived weakness in addressing the issue. The organisation argues that parts of the shipping industry are eager to see beaching yards approved under this convention.

“The Basel Convention recommended the phasing out of the beaching method 20 years ago and calls for full containment of pollutants and their environmentally sound management all the way to disposal,” said executive director and founder of NGO Shipbreaking Platform, Ingvild Jenssen.

“It also regulates, even bans in some cases, the international trade of hazardous wastes with an eye to protecting vulnerable communities and environments. We strongly encourage enforcement authorities globally to take actions that will effectively hold the shipping sector liable for committing serious environmental crimes and call on policy makers to safeguard the environmental justice principles that are at the heart of the Basel Convention”.

The report’s findings highlight the need for stronger enforcement of existing regulations and the introduction of new measures to protect workers, communities, and the environment from the harmful effects of substandard ship dismantling practices. 

The NGO Shipbreaking Platform’s call for action resonates with the growing global awareness of environmental and social justice issues, highlighting the need for a concerted effort to address the challenges posed by the shipbreaking industry.

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