Sitakunda Shipyard Deaths Put Worker Safety Under Scrutiny

Bangla Press Desk:  Shipbreaking yards in Sitakunda have virtually turned into death traps for workers, with repeated accidents highlighting persistent safety lapses in an industry that also poses serious environmental risks to the coastal area.

At least nine workers were killed and 10 others injured after toxic gas reportedly leaked inside a vessel at the Ferdous Steel Shipbreaking Yard in Sitakunda on Friday.

The accident occurred in the morning when workers were carrying out housekeeping work aboard the ship.

Sources said a high concentration of toxic hydrogen sulphide gas had accumulated inside the vessel, exposing the workers to the deadly fumes.

Officials of the Department of Explosives inspected the site on Saturday and detected 10.8 parts per million (ppm) of hydrogen sulphide inside the vessel, about four hours after the accident.

They suspected that the concentration could have exceeded 100 ppm at the time of the accident, potentially causing workers exposed to the gas to die within one to three minutes.

Shakhawat Hossain, an explosives inspector at the Department of Explosives, said a joint team would take measures to remove the gas from the vessel and its surrounding area.

Meanwhile, no case had been filed in connection with the accident as of Saturday. Chattogram Superintendent of Police Masud Alam said no case had yet been filed by the families of the deceased workers. "Legal action will be taken after a case is filed," he added.

Three probe bodies formed

Three committees have been formed to investigate the accident and determine its causes.

The Ministry of Industries formed an 11-member committee headed by an additional secretary, while the Chattogram district administration formed a nine-member committee headed by an additional district magistrate.

The Bangladesh Ship Breakers and Recyclers Association (BSBRA) had earlier formed a five-member committee to investigate the incident.

The latest accident has once again brought workplace safety in the shipbreaking industry under scrutiny, with workers and labour rights groups alleging that safety measures remain inadequate at many yards.

Fazlul Kabir Mintu, member secretary of the Ship-breaking Workers' Trade Union Forum, said at least 137 workers had been killed and 239 injured in various accidents at shipbreaking yards in Sitakunda over nine years and nine months since 2015.

According to the forum, the number of fatalities was 16 in 2015, 18 in 2016, 19 in 2017, 13 in 2018, 23 in 2019, 10 in 2020, 13 in 2021, seven in 2022, seven in 2023, seven in 2024 and four in 2025.

A total of three workers were killed and 38 others injured in 32 accidents at Sitakunda shipbreaking yards during the second half of 2025, according to a report prepared under the Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS).

AM Nazim Uddin, joint convener of the forum and president of the Chattogram divisional committee of the Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal, highlighted safety challenges at the yards and called for urgent reforms to reduce accidents and prevent avoidable deaths.

Environmental concerns

Apart from workplace safety, shipbreaking activities have long raised concerns over pollution of the coastal environment, including air and seawater, in Sitakunda.

The shipbreaking industry in Chattogram was categorised as a "Red" category industry by the Department of Environment (DoE) on April 26, 2024, reflecting the environmental risks associated with the sector.

There are currently four or five yards in Sitakunda that have obtained green certificates, according to industry experts. However, accidents have also occurred at yards claiming to follow higher environmental and safety standards.

Mohammad Ali Shahin, programme manager of NGO YPSA and a shipbreaking expert, told The Financial Express that some Bangladeshi shipbreakers were misleading international buyers by claiming to have green certification.

He said green certification is issued by a UK-based agency based on the level of air, water and solid pollution and standards developed in line with ISO 14064 Part III.

"I have found that presently four or five shipbreakers have obtained Green Certificates and a few others are trying to obtain such certificates with the help of consultants," he said.

Shipbreaking began in Bangladesh in 1971 and expanded rapidly after 1980.

Currently, around 80 to 90 ships are dismantled each year at yards stretching for more than 20 miles along the Sitakunda coast, from Faujdarhat to Sitakunda.History.

The yards produce more than 1.5 million tonnes of scrap iron annually, according to industry estimates.