9 workers die at Sitakunda: Ship declared ‘safe’ by 6 agencies

A vessel involved in a toxic gas leak that claimed the lives of nine workers in Sitakunda, Chattogram, had previously been certified as safe for recycling by four government bodies and a state-appointed private safety agency. Additionally, the Bangladesh Ship Recycling Board (BSRB), under the Ministry of Industries, had granted official approval for the dismantling process of the ship.

On 11 July last year, representatives from the Department of Environment, the Department of Explosives, Fire Service and Civil Defence, the Bangladesh Marine Academy (Chattogram), and a private agency named Ship Strip conducted an inspection of the MT Rasi—a vessel weighing approximately 94,000 tonnes.

The following month, the vessel was issued a clearance certificate deeming it safe to break. Ship Strip subsequently prepared the structural plan outlining how the vessel was to be dismantled.

On 14 August, while working at the yard of Ferdous Steel Ship Recycling Industries, nine workers died from exposure to toxic gas. An inquiry committee established by the Ministry of Industries confirmed the cause of death to be hydrogen sulphide—a colourless, highly toxic, and flammable gas.

However, the joint inspection report compiled the previous year contained no mention of substances hazardous to human health. Furthermore, no hazardous agents were recorded in the Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM) submitted to the Ministry of Industries at the time of the vessel’s importation.

The inspection report listed 16 categories of materials, including sludge oil (waste accumulated at the bottom of fuel tanks), lube oil (engine lubricant), glass wool, asbestos, and paint. Similarly, the IHM provided by the ship's owners did not mention the presence of any substances dangerous to human health. The inspection report nevertheless asserted that the IHM list had been thoroughly vetted and verified.

According to data from the Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS), 137 workers lost their lives in ship-breaking accidents over an 11-year period between 2015 and 2025. In the first six months of this year, three further fatalities were recorded. Including the nine deaths on 14 August, the total death toll now stands at 149.

Pursuant to Regulation 19(4) of the Hazardous Waste and Ship Breaking Waste Management Rules 2011, the government reconstituted a nine-member committee on 20 August 2023. This panel comprised representatives from the Department of Environment, Fire Service and Civil Defence, the Marine Academy Chattogram, the Department of Applied and Environmental Chemistry at the University of Chattogram, Chattogram Custom House, Chittagong Dry Dock Limited, and the Department of Explosives.

Zamir Uddin, Director of the Department of Environment (Chattogram Office), told Prothom Alo that the committee’s primary mandate is to inspect a vessel's outer structure and compile a report. Within this scope, the Department of Environment monitors oil separation mechanisms and sludge management to prevent marine pollution.

He stated that responsibility for detecting toxic substances or gases lies with the Department of Explosives.

SM Sakhawat Hossain, Assistant Director at the Department of Explosives (Chattogram Office), was a member of the inspection team. Attempts to reach him by phone and text message over two consecutive days yielded no response.

Tofazzal Hossain, Deputy Chief Inspector of Explosives, who previously served in the Chattogram region for an extended period, spoke to Prothom Alo.

“The 'gas-free' certificate issued was valid from a year prior. Under the Petroleum Rules, our role is to check for the presence of petroleum-based gases or materials,” he said.

“During our inspection, we found no evidence of hydrogen sulphide, and the incident did not originate from the type of tanks used to hold petroleum products,” Tofazzal Hossain added.

Mohammad Abdur Razzaq, a former Deputy Assistant Director of the Chattogram Fire Service and Civil Defence team during the inspection (now stationed in Rajshahi), stated on Saturday, "We assess whether fire suppression systems are operational, whether personnel on board have received fire safety training, and whether adequate fire-fighting equipment is maintained on site."

The remaining two members of the inspection team could not be reached for comment.

Despite issuing a safety certificate for the MT Rasi, the inspection team chose not to descend into the cofferdams—the void spaces designed to isolate gas between tanks—due to perceived risks within the vessel’s lower structure. Instead, inspectors relied on mirrors and reflectors operated from the main deck to inspect the tanks remotely.

Furthermore, the vessel contained four specialised membrane tanks designed to store gas, which were likewise only observed from a distance.

An official from the Department of Environment, speaking on condition of anonymity, acknowledged, "Inspections are almost exclusively conducted from the deck; no one wants to enter the interior of the vessel. These ships can be five to ten storeys high, yet inspectors typically examine only the first deck or two from the top."

The report itself acknowledges that visible hazardous substances were identified based on the "professional experience and knowledge" of the team. However, experts note that vessels often harbor a wide array of toxic gases and substances concealed within their internal frameworks that are invisible to the naked eye. None of the agencies associated with ship recycling in the country possess the specialised equipment required to detect such hidden gases.

Although the shipowner's submitted IHM made no mention of toxic gas, it did list over a hundred chemical compounds.

Prior to dismantling any vessel, a formal recycling plan must be submitted to the Ship Recycling Board. The board subsequently issues authorisation, contingent upon adherence to safe and environmentally sound dismantling practices, identification and management of hazardous materials, and compliance with international conventions.

When asked how such an accident could occur despite multiple levels of regulatory oversight, ASM Shafiul Alam, Director General of the Bangladesh Ship Recycling Board, explained that until a vessel is completely broken down, it is impossible to determine where toxic substances might remain hidden within its vast structure.

He noted that despite multi-tier inspections, inherent risks persist, which is why the board continually stresses the strict enforcement of safety gear.

Attributing negligence to the yard operator, Shafiul Alam added that workers were required to test the area with a gas detector prior to entering the compartment where work was taking place—a protocol the yard failed to execute.

Documentation submitted to the Ministry of Industries at the time of importation reveals that the vessel was constructed in South Korea in the year 2000 under the name HS Ras Laffan. Upon reaching the end of its operational life, its name was changed to MV Rasi.

The Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships entered into force on 26 June 2025 to ensure safe ship-breaking practices. Under this convention, exporters are legally obligated to provide importers with a verified IHM. The IHM for the MV Rasi was compiled by a Singapore-based firm, Metizsoft Asia Pte Ltd.

Metizsoft stated that its IHM was prepared primarily on the basis of visual inspections, document reviews, and interviews with personnel familiar with the vessel.

However, the firm’s report included a disclaimer noting that due to conditions on board, it was not possible to collect samples from all locations or machinery. The company relied on data supplied by government authorities and its client, assuming that information to be accurate.

While Metizsoft maintained that its report was based on reliable data, it offered no guarantee as to its ultimate accuracy and disclaimed all liability for any losses incurred by the client resulting from the use of the report.

Data from the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA) indicates that Bangladesh ranked as the world's leading ship-recycling nation almost every year between 2009 and 2023. In 2023 alone, 170 out of 446 decommissioned ships worldwide were broken in Bangladesh, representing 38.12 per cent of the global total. The country processed 130 vessels in 2024, followed by 88 in 2025.

Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Chief Executive of BELA and former Environment Adviser to the interim government, observed that middleman companies—often termed 'cash buyers'—frequently purchase decommissioned vessels under altered flags to conceal original ownership before reselling them to Bangladeshi yards.

These entities often submit makeshift IHM documents to the Ministry of Industries that omit critical data regarding hazardous waste, she added.

Rizwana Hasan stressed that the primary purpose of an IHM is to present an accurate account of the inherent waste built into a vessel's structure.

Stating that despite judicial directives mandating rigorous verification of these inventories, she said, the Ministry of Industries continues to accept fraudulent lists and grant import permits—a practice that directly leads to tragic accidents and the ongoing loss of workers’ lives.