Tragedy struck in Bangladesh as nine workers lost their lives due to exposure to toxic gas while dismantling an LNG carrier at a shipbreaking yard. This incident has raised serious concerns about safety standards at recycling facilities in South Asia.
The accident took place on August 14, on the LNG carrier Rasi, at the Ferdous Steel shipbreaking yard in Chattogram, according to the NGO Shipbreaking Platform. Among the deceased was a 17-year-old, and several other workers sustained injuries.
This incident is particularly alarming because Ferdous Steel is certified as compliant with the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, which went into effect last year.
The NGO Shipbreaking Platform reported that just one month prior to the accident, Bangladesh's Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments had initiated legal proceedings against Ferdous Steel due to ongoing safety violations. The Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association has since demanded an independent investigation and the closure of the yard.
This event adds to the rising number of accidents occurring in Bangladesh's shipbreaking yards since the Hong Kong Convention was implemented in June 2025.
According to The Daily Star, the NGO Shipbreaking Platform notes that there have been 84 accidents at Bangladeshi yards in this period, resulting in 15 fatalities and 81 injuries.
The organization pointed out that these recent deaths underscore a significant discrepancy between international certification and the actual working conditions at ship recycling sites.
The Rasi (IMO 9176008), previously named HL Ras Laffan, was owned by South Korea's H-Line Shipping. The NGO Shipbreaking Platform mentioned that shipping databases link the sale of the vessel for recycling to cash buyer GMS. The organization had previously warned in March 2025 about H-Line's plan to retire the vessel, criticizing their choice to use South Asian shipbreaking yards.
The NGO is urging Bangladeshi authorities to carry out an independent investigation, hold those at fault accountable, and increase unannounced inspections of recycling facilities.
This incident also occurs at a time when the European Union is debating whether to approve ship recycling facilities in South Asia that utilize the contentious beaching method.
The European Commission has recently proposed adding two shipbreaking facilities in India—Shree Ram Vessel Scrap/Shree Ram Shipping Industries and YSI Recyclers—to the European List of approved ship recycling yards. Both of these facilities operate using beaching, where ships are brought onto tidal mudflats before being dismantled.
Environmental groups have voiced strong objections to this proposal, arguing that beaching complicates the containment of oil, heavy metals, and other hazardous materials, and undermines the stringent environmental protections of the EU Ship Recycling Regulation.
Nevertheless, the European Commission concluded after reviewing the applications that both Indian facilities comply with the EU regulations governing safe and environmentally friendly ship recycling. A public consultation regarding this proposal is ongoing until August 30.
The Hong Kong Convention, which came into effect on June 26, 2025, is the first mandatory global framework for ship recycling. It requires vessels slated for demolition to maintain inventories of hazardous materials and for recycling facilities to create vessel-specific recycling plans while placing the onus on governments to ensure compliance with the convention. Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan—key destinations for decommissioned ships—are parties to this convention. However, critics argue that the lack of a prohibition on beaching exposes workers and coastal environments to unacceptable risks.