From Shipbreaking to Sustainable Ship Recycling

Puthucherril, Tony George

doi:10.1163/ej.9789004174917.i-290

Cited by 23 publications

(13 citation statements)

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“…Ship breaking in Chittagong occurs when ships are dismantled directly on the tidal beaches. This activity began in the 1960s and has since represented a considerable share of the world market of ship breaking. ,− Out of a total of 1026 ships dismantled globally in 2014, 22% of the ships with known scrapping destinations were dismantled in the Chittagong area . Concern has arisen regarding these activities and the subsequent emissions of pollutants to the environment. − The materials making up the scrapped ships contain heavy metals and industrial-use POPs like PCBs and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High Concentrations of Organic Contaminants in Air from Ship Breaking Activities in Chittagong, Bangladesh

Nøst

Halse

Randall

et al. 2015

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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The beaches on the coast of Chittagong in Bangladesh are one of the most intense ship breaking areas in the world. The aim of the study was to measure the concentrations of organic contaminants in the air in the city of Chittagong, including the surrounding ship breaking areas using passive air samplers (N = 25). The compounds detected in the highest amounts were the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs), whereas dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were several orders of magnitude lower in comparison. PCBs, PAHs, and HCB were highest at sites near the ship breaking activities, whereas DDTs and SCCPs were higher in the urban areas. Ship breaking activities likely act as atmospheric emission sources of PCBs, PAHs, and HCB, thus adding to the international emphasis on responsible recycling of ships. Concentrations of PAHs, PCBs, DDTs, HCB, and SCCPs in ambient air in Chittagong are high in comparison to those found in similar studies performed in other parts of Asia. Estimated toxic equivalent quotients indicate elevated human health risks caused by inhalation of PAHs at most sites.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High Concentrations of Organic Contaminants in Air from Ship Breaking Activities in Chittagong, Bangladesh

Nøst

Halse

Randall

et al. 2015

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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“…Ship-breaking and shipbuilding activities are mostly located in developing countries such as Bangladesh, South Korea, Pakistan, China and Turkey and are performed by low social classes and often untrained workers [61,62]. Although these activities are a catalyst for the economies of those countries, as they generate employment and steel production, the consequences for the local environment and the health and safety of workers are poorly quantified [63,64].…”

Section: Shippingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Who Is in and Who Is out in Ocean Economies Development?

2023

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This review engages with the ongoing blue economy debate to decipher old and emerging forms of economic, institutional, physical and social exclusions of local communities and vulnerable societies that may result from the development of ocean projects and policies across the globe. The results of this scientific and policy review show that, whereas for some traditional maritime activities such as fisheries, the drivers of exclusion are well studied and somehow addressed in policies, for other emerging sectors, such as ocean energies or deep-sea mining, there is a lack of understanding on how to recognise and prevent the different forms of exclusion. Exclusion is likely to occur when decisions are taken at the highest level of governance to achieve national or international targets of economic growth, food safety, clean energy or leisure, with little consideration of the effects on local economic, social and environmental contexts. On the other hand, when the principles of inclusiveness are given due consideration, they prove to be beneficial for the societies’ well-being, increasing the chance of long-term social acceptability. We conclude that, to embrace inclusiveness, both governments and industries have to (a) go beyond the capitalist commodification of nature and recognise benefits other than the economic ones, namely, emotional, cultural and spiritual; (b) promote initiatives that fulfil local needs in the first place and are adapted to local contexts; (c) cooperate with local institutions and stakeholders to promote the co-management of resources and adaptive development. Likewise, research institutions, funding organisations and governmental agencies have to engage in new ways to assess the effects of ocean development that go beyond the quantitative approach and seek to integrate qualitative information, traditional knowledge and local perceptions.

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“…Air pollution and water contamination have been well documented (Basha et al 2007;Reddy et al 2005). Hazardous waste management is also a problem, for hazardous wastes are dumped in a haphazard fashion (Demaria 2010;Puthucherril 2010Puthucherril , 2011. Accidents and the adverse health and safety conditions facing workers and the inhabitants of the areas surrounding the yards are serious ( Reliable data on the number of accidental deaths and future deaths resulting from diseases with long latency periods such as asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma are not available, but a recent study of Taiwanese ship breaker workers who had stopped working for a period of 24 years indicated they are at substantially increased risk of asbestos-related diseases such as overall cancer, oral cancer, lung cancer, and mesothelioma (Wu et al 2014).…”

Section: Human Health and Safety Risksmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Efforts to Okereke 2008;Puthucherril 2010: Chapters 3-5, 2011Rousmaniere and Raj 2007;World Bank 2010). These efforts to "globalize responsibility" are problematic because of noncompliance and weak implementation and enforcement capacity at the national and supranational levels, resulting from fragmented efforts, limited resources, increased capital mobility, the neoliberal project that frames regulation as a trade barrier, and increasing legitimation discourse efforts by exporting countries and industry lobbies to redefine hazardous wastes as "resources" to be recycled (see, e.g., Bhattacharjee 2009;Frey 1998aFrey , 2006aFrey , 2006bGreenpeace International and International Federation for Human Rights 2005;Karim 2010;Lucier and Gareau 2014).…”

Section: An Approximate Analysis Of Economic Costs and Benefitsmentioning

confidence: 99%