Gadani – Balochistan (Article)
Written by Abdul Wahid Assistant Director Public Relations Department Balochistan
The world’s third largest ship recycling industry is located in Tehsil Gadani of Hub district on the coast of Pakistan.
The Government of Pakistan passed the Balochistan Development Authority (BDA) Act in 1974 and established the BDA and in 1978 Field Martial Law Administrator General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq signed a summary to declare ship recycling on the coast of Gadani as a regular industry.
Balochistan Development Authority (BDA), as the regulatory authority of this industry, has been responsible for the maintenance of operational activities and monitoring of other arrangements for the past several decades.
The ship recycling industry under the supervision of the BDA consists of 314 plots and 135 plots are operational.
Each plot covers an area of four acres. The occupational safety and health of the workers working in the Gadani Shipbreaking Yard has been facing significant challenges over the years.
In the past, workers involved in recycling shipwrecks have often been exposed to hazardous materials and unsafe working conditions.
However, due to the use of modern machinery, the rate of accidents during ship cutting has become negligible.
The ILO is committed to helping the sector reach international standards.
In particular, shipbreakers and BDA are making concerted efforts to ensure the safety, dignity and welfare of all workers working in the industry.
Arsenio Dominguez, the Secretary General of the IMO team recently, Federal Minister of Port and Shipping Maritime Affairs along with Qaisar Sheikh in the ceremony of laying the foundation stone of waste management plan site, 30-beded hospital, fire fighting rescue center, labour training center, power supply to every plot of the yard through solar system and other development projects in Pakistan’s Gadani shipbreaking yard. “Participation of course”.
There is evidence of the seriousness of the Government of Pakistan and other stakeholders in the implementation of the ratification of the Hong Kong Convention Agreement.
IMO Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez
Immediately after the visit to Pakistan, the IMO Project Manager Mr. Jon Alonso and the Norwegian Embassy Secretary Ms. Anja Myrtveit, Secretary of the Norwegian Embassy, along with the technical team headed by the ILO Pakistan Country Director Geer Tunstol visited Gadani which is encouraging and green yard. is the basis of a new journey towards
The Country Director of International Labour Organization (ILO) along with IMO Team expressed his happiness to visit Gadani Ship Recycling Yard and share new ideas and information with stakeholders related to this industry.
In the past, the anti-Pakistan lobby in the international media against Pakistan’s shipbreaking industry has been making baseless propaganda against Pakistan’s shipbreaking industry in the Green Yard project.
But the progress towards rapid modernization and development of Gadani Shipbreaking Yard is definitely due to the commitment of Pakistan Shipbreaking Association for the development of the industry and the coordination between all the stakeholders of the state as it is the result of efforts.
Today, Pakistan’s ship recycling industry is active in playing an important role in the global recycling chain.
The visit of a team of international experts headed by Mr. John Alonso, Project Manager of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to monitor ship recycling and green yard arrangements under the Hong Kong Convention in Gadani was welcomed not only at the national level but also at the international level is going.
Norwegian Second Secretary Head of Development Miss. Anja Myrtveit Secretary Norwegian Embassy’s visit to Gadani’s commitment to work on the SENSREC project has certainly strengthened all these efforts.
Worldwide attention has been drawn to Pakistan’s ongoing efforts towards safe and sustainable recycling.
International Maritime Organization which is working worldwide as a subsidiary organization of the United Nations.
The IMO team’s visit to Pakistan reflects its commitment to the success of the shipbreaking recycling project and meetings with high-level government officials.
The IMO Project Manager Mr. John Alonso was told by Chairman of BDA Captain (R) Javed in a briefing on the occasion of the visit.
The federal government has approved the modernization project of the ship-breaking industry at a cost of 12 billion
Foundation stone of 30 bedded hospital and waste management plan site has been laid under the project.
The guideline of German firm GSR has been obtained keeping in mind the protocol for green yard planning.
The process of modernization of shipbreaking industry will be completed by June 2025.
Hazardous waste expert Susan Wingfield of Planning and Management in the IMO team also participated in the visit.
In addition to IMO’s monitoring team Ms. Anja Benedict Merthwaite, Gudron Johnsons, Takeshi Naros, Casper Edmond, Greg Green, IMO Pakistan representative Captain Athar Shafiq and ILO representative Rabia Razzaq also participated in the visit.
The team reviewed the Health and Safety SOPs in the field and the basic requirements of the green yard after taking a multimedia briefing of the training session of the workers regarding firefighting rescue.
IMO Project Manager Mr. John Alonso and the team members had a face-to-face meeting with the workers working at the Gadani shipbreaking yard.
The IMO project manager, Mr. John Alonso gave a guideline to shipbreakers and workers to make the process of safely dismantling ships in line with international standards under the implementation of the Hong Kong Convention for the Ship and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships.
Speaking to the shipbreakers on the occasion of the visit, Alonso said that there is a potential to become a green yard in the shipbreaking industry of Pakistan.
Government of Pakistan and Regulatory Authority of Gadani Shipbreaking Yard (BDA) along with all stakeholders shipbreakers community can make the future of industry bright.
He said that he felt happy to come to Pakistan and work as labourers under SOPs in Gadani Shipbreaking Yard.
Mr. John Alonso said that the efforts of all the stakeholders for the development of the shipbreaking industry are valuable.
The IMO team received a briefing on the environmental and ship recycling plan for waste
rooms and oil storage tanks of decommissioned ships at Plot No. 64 of the yard.
During the briefing, the IMO Project Manager, while talking to the ship owners of Plot No. 64 and 60, said that there is scope for increasing the recycling capacity of safe and environmentally friendly ships in Pakistan.
Mr. John Alonso, Project Manager IMO assured support to Ship-breakers for the implementation of the Hong Kong International Convention Roadmap Project Manager IMO provided facilities for the treatment, storage and disposal of hazardous waste generated from recycling operations.
Work on the project was described as significant progress
Executive Member Pakistan Shipbreakers Association Rafiq Salam told the IMO team that in the first phase of the project under Green Yard, the health and safety of workers and promotion of environmental standards is our top priority.
Adequate training programs have been implemented for industry stakeholders including laborers working in the industry.
Rafiq Salam told the IMO team that Pakistan is one of the world’s leading ship recycling countries in terms of capacity, along with Bangladesh, China, India and Turkey.
Pakistan has become the 23rd country to ratify the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships on 06 December 2023.
He said that the recycling of decommissioned ships in the Gadani shipbreaking industry is key to the local economy.
The shipbreaking industry produces large quantities of steel and other materials for Pakistan’s re-rolling mills
Laborers in shipbreaking are paid higher daily wages than in other private sectors.
In Pakistan, a large number of people are employed in re-rolling mills and allied industries, which obtain raw materials from the ship-breaking industry.
Rafiq Salam, a local industrialist told the IMO team, in addition to tax revenue generation for the government, Gadani is acting as a role model for the development of the country’s economy in ship breaking recycling in the industry.
Deputy Director Environmental Protection Agency Tariq Salim Rind told the IMO team during the visit briefing that there is a capacity to store 3 million tons of scrap in Gadani Shipbreaking Yard.
The technical expert team of Balochistan Environment Protection Department conducts pre-harvest inspection of anchored derelict ships and environmental sampling of sea water during harvesting.
The government’s commitment to protecting marine life is EPA’s primary role in maintaining a sustainable natural ecosystem.
Terming the visit of the IMO Project Manager to Gadani as a welcome initiative, the workers and Pakistan Shipbreakers Association hoped that the International Maritime Organization team would be focused on increasing the quality and capacity of ship recycling in compliance with the Hong Kong Convention and during the work will contribute to technical assistance in storage and disposal of hazardous waste from ships.
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