NGO: Two More Workers Die at Alang Shipbreaking Beaches

…As COSCO Shipping Lines Names Its Final 21,000 TEU Giant***

Two workers have lost their lives in recent incidents on the shipbreaking beach of Alang, India, NGO Shipbreaking Platform said citing local media.

In late July, a 50-year-old worker dies after a metal plate fell on his head while he was working on a ship at the Priya Blue yard. He was transferred to the nearest hospital in bad condition and pronounced dead at arrival.

The second incident, that occurred on September 3, took another life and left one worker severely injured at Shree Ram yard due to an explosion during cutting operations. The accident is under police investigation.

“We expect transparency on the causes of these fatalities, and that both the yards and owners of the vessels upon which the accidents occurred are held to account,” Ingvild Jenssen, Executive Director of the NGO Shipbreaking Platform, said.

Last year, at least 14 workers lost their life at the Alang shipbreaking yards. The exact number of fatalities is not available as local authorities do not share information — serious injuries are rarely recorded, and occupational diseases are not documented at all.

Both Priya Blue and Shree Ram plots were among the first yards to obtain the “Statements of Compliance with the Hong Kong Convention” from Japanese ClassNK.

The shipbreaking yards have applied to be included in the EU list of approved ship recycling facilities. They have been inspected by the European Commission to assess whether they comply with the requirements set in the EU Ship Recycling Regulation. Site inspection reports highlighting a series of deficiencies related to the cutting operations in the intertidal zone, downstream waste management, medical facilities and labour laws were published earlier this year.

As a consequence, the yards, despite significant pressure from industry stakeholders, were not included in the EU list of approved ship recycling facilities.

New inspections, also of additional yards, are expected to take place in the coming weeks, NGO Shipbreaking Platform noted.

In the meantime, China’s COSCO Shipping Lines has named its sixth and final 21,000 TEU containership at compatriot Jiangnan Shanghai Changxing shipyard.

The vessel, featuring a length of 400 meters and a width of 58.6 meters, was named COSCO Shipping Planet.

The ultra large container vessel (ULCV), with a capacity to carry up to 21,237 TEUs, was handed over to its owner at the event.

The containership is equipped with ballast water treatment systems (BTWS) and has energy-saving and low-emission technologies, complying with the latest environmental regulations. With a deadweight tonnage of 198,000, the boxship can reach a speed of 22 nautical miles.

Following delivery, the ship is scheduled to be deployed in COSCO Shipping Lines’ MEX service, connecting the Far East with the Middle East, together with the company’s COSCO Shipping Solar, delivered in April 2019.

According to data provided by VesselsValue, the COSCO Shipping Planet currently has a market value of USD 157.17 million.

World Maritime News