Ship Breaking- a Lucrative Business.

SHIP BREAKING YARDS.

At the end of their sailing life, ships vessels and floating structures are sold as scrap
for their steel.
Greece is the place where auction of such ships takes place.
A ship for breaking is sold ordinarily between two to five million US dollars.
The Principal purchaser are generally shaikhs in Dubai.
They buy such ships for ship-breaking, making payment in US dollars.
Such ships are sent to ship-breaking yards-say Alang ship-breaking yard, Bombay, Sachana etc. In India they have their syndicate in New Delhi runs this business.
The Syndicate pays the Principal in kind by exporting equivalent valued foodstuffs butter cheese,grains pulses-in short everything as indented by the Principal.
After fulfilling customs formalities ship-breaking takes place
in under-developed countries Bangladesh, Pakistan India China etc.
Such ship breaking activity turns our green good sea-beach into dirty graveyards.
Such ships brought for ship-breaking also contain hazardous materials like asbestos lead paint,PCBs (polyclorinated biphenyls) in engine oils.
During the process of scrapping hazardous
poisonous gas is found released in the environment.
Every year about 700 such ship
are taken out of actual sea-faring and put into auction for scrapping.

About 300 such ships account for our share in ship-breaking
approximately. Such ships ordinarily
travel under flag of convenience available at cheap
rates from countries like Panama, Malta
Cyprus etc. Ship masters have the right to sail under any flag they choose.
Ships are registered in
such countries where rules are not strict.
Shipping companies and ship-owners remain incognitio-their origin
can not be traced. Everything is done by
petty contractors middlemen etc.
They make huge profits from selling such old ships but do not bear
the burden of undertaking a follow-up clean break-up of the ship. Here they raise their hands.

The International Maritime Organization has issued clear cut
guidelines for follow up action till
completion of the breaking process by the sellers of such old
vessels. In our country, the Hon'ble
Apex Court of India rendered yeoman's service
by issuing guidelines on lines of the IMO plus
the Lordships have also issued directives that
prevents dumping of hazardous wastes in the country,
and the ship has also to be delivered with 'gas free for hot
works' certificate as per Indian Laws.
Their Lordships have stressed that the Basel Convention
was applicable to export of such ships to
our country as it amounts to one and the same thing
like export of hazardous materials to our country;
and that 'gas-free for hot work' should be made compulsary
for the ship owner and that no ship be given
permission to beach unless such certificate is produced.
Any explosion irrespective of the certificate
should result in cancellation of the plot holder's licence
and the Explosives Inspector prosecuted.
The Pollution Control Board has issued instructions
to observe the said precautions. It has
also directed to remove asbestos and other hazardous
waste on board of the ship and store it
at a landfill in the hinterlands adjacent to the ship-breaking
yards. This directive is uncalled for
as it does not address the illegalities of import of such
hazardous wastes into the shipbreaking
yards. Many agencies have visited the shipbreaking
yards of Alang, Bombay to monitor environmental
pollution. Syndicates have very long hands and everything
has remained on paper.

There is complete ban on diamond polishing in the western
countries being hazardous to health.
They send all their diamonds for trimming polishing shining to
underdeveloped countries. There is
complete ban on manufacture of synthetic organic dyestuffs
being hazardous to the environment.
Such SODyes are manufactured in India.
They import it from India. Pollution Control Board and Courts
have issued innumerable guidelines but they are of no avail.
Time is now ripe for public awakening.

At a little distance from Alang, at Pipavav, the Japan Car
manufacturing company financed the Delhi
syndicate for establishing a modern ship breaking yard.
This ship-breaking yard is now ready but
it is delayed for want of last minute green signal from the
Government. As per arrangement, every year
Japan renders 200 vessels for scrapping.
These vessels would be scrapped at Pipavav. The cut steel
would go Japan for use in their automobile plants.
This arrangement was done during the Congress
regime between 1985 to 90. Now that this party has
come to power, it will be shortly commissioned.
In short it is time now to enforce the directives issued
by the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India. In Japan
their Government have refused permission to establish
a ship-breaking yard in Japan sea-waters. India
welcomes everything. This state of affairs has to stop now.