Probe clears govt agencies, raising questions over investigation

An investigation by the Ministry of Industries has found negligence on the part of the owner of Ferdous Steel Ship Recycling Industries in Sitakunda, Chattogram, in an accident that killed 10 workers after gas was released at the yard. However, the committee found no negligence on the part of government agencies responsible for oversight, raising questions about the investigation. Under the relevant law, government agencies were responsible for ensuring that the ship was safe for dismantling.

The 11-member investigation committee was formed on 14 August, the day of the accident, with Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Industries AKM Benjamin Riazi as its head. After conducting a five-day investigation, the committee submitted its report to the ministry last Monday.

The accident occurred in No. 3 ballast-water tank of the ship. Ballast water is water pumped into a ship’s tanks to maintain its balance and stability.

Under sub-section 1 of Section 9 of the Ship Breaking and Ship Recycling Rules, 2011, the Department of Explosives is required to inspect the ship’s empty tanks, double-bottom tanks, ballast tanks, wing tanks, oil tanks, slop tanks and petroleum cargo tanks before issuing two types of certificates: “Safe for Man Entry” and “Gas Free for Hot Work”. The former certifies that workers can safely enter the tanks, while the latter certifies that the ship is safe for dismantling.

However, the Department of Explosives issued both certificates for the ship without inspecting the ballast-water tank.

The ship was inspected on 11 July 2025 by SM Sakhawat Hossain, an assistant director of the Department of Explosives. He has recently been transferred to Rajshahi district.

Asked whether the Ship Breaking and Ship Recycling Rules, 2011 require the Department of Explosives to inspect all types of tanks, Sakhawat Hossain said, “We can only inspect a tank if it is empty. It is not possible for us to inspect a tank when it is filled with liquid.”

Although the investigation report mentions negligence by the yard authorities under the Ship Breaking and Ship Recycling Rules, 2011, it does not mention any negligence by the Department of Explosives or the Bangladesh Ship Recycling Board, despite their responsibilities under the same rules.

Under the ship recycling regulations, the Bangladesh Ship Recycling Board is responsible for overseeing the process from granting permission to import a ship to its dismantling, ensuring that ships are free from hazardous and toxic waste, and monitoring the provision of safety equipment and workplace safety for workers at yards.

Asked why the investigation committee had found no liability on the part of any government agency, committee head AKM Benjamin Riazi told this correspondent, “Read it carefully. It is a seven- to eight-page investigation report. You will find the liability of government agencies somewhere in the report.”

When asked to specify the page and point where such liability had been identified, he said, “Read it and call me again.” After reading the report, this correspondent called Riazi again on Wednesday evening, but he did not answer the phone.

The report identifies six instances of negligence by the yard owner in its observations on safety measures.

For instance, none of the workers had gas masks when they were cutting into the ship’s tank on the day of the accident. None of the workers who went to the site was wearing a mask. Although workers were engaged in hazardous work on a holiday, the yard had no safety manager, ambulance, physician or emergency rescue team.

The report also says that although personal protective equipment was available at the yard, it was not used during high-risk operations. It further notes that the Department of Environment and Fire Service were not informed in a timely manner following the accident.

When a ship is imported, a list of trained workers must be approved by the Ship Recycling Board. According to the investigation report, only one of the five workers who died at the yard that day was on the list of workers approved by the board.

In its review of technical documents and certificates, the report states that the administrative procedures relating to the ship’s import, inspection at the outer anchorage, beaching and permission for its dismantling—including those involving the Department of Explosives and the Department of Environment—were properly followed and that no irregularities were found.

The government introduced the Ship Breaking and Ship Recycling Rules, 2011 under the Environment Conservation Act, 1995, with the aim of making the shipbreaking industry safer for workers and the environment. The rules clearly specify the responsibilities of 11 government agencies.

Asked for her views, Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA) chief executive Syeda Rizwana Hasan told Prothom Alo on Wednesday that it was expected that the responsible government agencies and officials would be held accountable for issuing the necessary certificates for dismantling the ship without carrying out proper checks and verification.

She also said the yard owner should have been arrested.

“These deaths can in no way be considered natural deaths. Whether the incident amounts to culpable homicide should also be seriously considered,” Rizwana Hasan said.

Syeda Rizwana Hasan further said that unless responsibility was established for both the yard owner and the officials involved in issuing the approvals, any investigation report into the deaths would merely become another piece of paper.