How 'green' are Bangladesh's shipbreaking yards if workers keep dying?
Bangladesh recorded 12 shipbreaking worker deaths in 2026, despite a growing number of yards receiving green certification.
Nine workers died on Friday (14 August) at a Bangladesh ship-recycling yard carrying three international certifications, exposing a stark contradiction at the heart of the country's rapidly expanding "green" shipbreaking industry.
Ferdous Steel Ship Recycling Industries in Sitakunda is authorised under the Hong Kong Convention and is among the Bangladeshi facilities promoted as evidence that an industry long associated with deaths, toxic exposure and pollution is becoming safer and environmentally responsible. Yet the deaths raise a fundamental question: what does "green" certification mean if workers continue to die at yards carrying the label?
Bangladesh now has 23 ship-recycling yards classified as green, including 17 formally notified to the International Maritime Organization under the Hong Kong Convention. But 12 shipbreaking workers have already died in 2026, the highest annual toll since 2021, with more than four months of the year remaining.
The company says it holds a Statement of Compliance from Indian Register of Shipping, or IRClass, under the Hong Kong Convention and certifications from Bureau Veritas covering quality and Japan-based ClassNK (also known as Nippon Kaiji Kyokai) environmental management, occupational health and safety and ship-recycling management. Its government authorisation is valid until October 2030.
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The deaths have brought an important question to the centre of Bangladesh's green shipbreaking transition: Does a green certificate mean a yard is genuinely safer, or can certification become a form of greenwashing if standards are not followed after approval?
23 green yards, but deaths continue
The growth of Bangladesh's "green" shipbreaking yards has been rapid. The industry has spent heavily on impermeable flooring, hazardous-waste systems, environmental safeguards, worker protection and other infrastructure, with yard owners saying more than Tk2,000 crore has been invested over the past two years.
Bangladesh now ranks second globally, behind Türkiye, in the number of recycling facilities formally listed under the Hong Kong Convention.
The figures have been promoted as evidence that the country's shipbreaking industry is leaving its dangerous past behind. But fatalities have not disappeared.
"A Green Certificate does not guarantee that a ship recycling yard is 100 percent safe," Muhammad Ali Shahin, head of advocacy at Young Power in Social Action (YPSA), told The Business Standard.
He said basic protective measures could have saved workers and warned that certificates were meaningless if yards failed to implement the standards behind them.
"Green certificates cannot help if the yards are not implementing the safety procedures and standards," Shahin said.
He called for regular monitoring, proper risk assessment, adequate worker training and strict compliance with the Hong Kong Convention and other safety standards.
"Ship recycling should never be rushed at the cost of workers' lives. Safety must come before speed, and accountability must be ensured."
Ship Recycling Board's certification under scrutiny
Ferdous Steel's certifications make the latest deaths especially significant. The Bangladesh Ship Recycling Board has authorised the facility under the Hong Kong Convention and it is formally included among the country's IMO-listed recycling yards.
Shafiul Alam Talukder, director general of the board, told TBS, "We authorised the yard after proper assessments; the workers' deaths are the yard's responsibility."
He said the board has issued an immediate stop-operation order to the yard.
The DG said the suspension will remain in effect until further decisions are taken based on inspection and investigation findings.
Shafiul mentioned that three separate probe committees have been formed to investigate the incident, by the industries ministry, the Chattogram district administration and the Bangladesh Ship Recycling Board.
He added that the authorities would decide the yard's future after receiving the inspection and investigation reports and identifying those responsible for the accident.
"If the findings show that the yard should be closed, it will be closed. If it is found that the incident did not result from negligence and the yard can resume operations, then other measures, including fines, may be considered under the applicable factory and labour laws," Shafiul said.
Questions over what 'green' really means
There are, however, conflicting accounts over another certification.
Mohammad Yousuf, a manager at Ferdous Steel, told TBS that the yard held IRClass and Bureau Veritas certifications and was being assessed by Japan-based ClassNK.
Ferdous Steel CEO Md Asaduzzaman, however, said the company had received ClassNK certification in April 2026 and held three certifications, from IRClass, Bureau Veritas and ClassNK.
The differing accounts highlight a broader problem surrounding the industry's green transformation: several kinds of government authorisation, international listing and private certification are often presented together under the single term "green yard". For workers, however, the critical measure is not which organisation issued a certificate.
It is whether gas testing is carried out, hazardous spaces are properly inspected, safety equipment is used, workers are trained and supervisors enforce procedures every day.
Ferdous Steel's nine deaths have renewed scrutiny of safety at certified ship-recycling yards. The accident occurred on Friday, a weekly holiday at most yards, with relatives alleging workers were pressured to report for duty. Questions have also emerged over confined-space checks, gas testing, protective equipment and supervision.
In September 2024, an explosion at SN Corporation, another green and Hong Kong Convention-compliant yard, eventually killed six workers, prompting a three-month closure and a fine.
161 workers dead since 2014
Long-term fatality figures show why questions about the effectiveness of the green transition remain. Data provided by YPSA shows 161 shipbreaking worker deaths between 2014 and 14 August, 2026.
Nine workers died in 2014, followed by 16 in 2015, 17 in 2016, 15 in 2017, 20 in 2018 and a peak of 22 in 2019.
The death toll then fell to 11 in 2020, before rising to 14 in 2021. Ten workers died in 2022. The data records five deaths in 2023, seven in 2024 and three in 2025.
With the latest fatalities, 12 workers have already died in 2026, making this the deadliest year since 2021 even though more than four months remain.
The comparison is striking. The 2026 toll is already four times the 2025 total, while the industry's green certification drive has never been more advanced.
From certification to accountability
The Hong Kong Convention entered into force on June 26, 2025 and was designed to reduce risks to workers, human health and the environment from ship recycling.
For Bangladesh, compliance has become central to rebuilding the international reputation of an industry long associated with explosions, toxic exposure, falling steel and worker deaths.
The physical transformation of many yards is visible. Impermeable floors, drainage systems, waste-management facilities and upgraded equipment represent substantial investment. But infrastructure is only one part of safety.
A certified management system cannot protect a worker if its procedures are ignored. A safety plan cannot prevent an accident if workers are inadequately trained. And an internationally recognised certificate cannot substitute for regular inspections and enforcement.
After 161 worker deaths since 2014 and 12 already this year, the industry's next test is therefore not how quickly it can increase the number of green yards.
It is whether those green claims can be demonstrated where they matter most: in the everyday survival of the workers dismantling the ships.
Bangladesh's shipbreaking industry began commercially in Sitakunda in the 1970s and grew into a major source of scrap, jobs and recovered goods. The sector supplies about 70% of scrap used by domestic steel re-rolling mills, while thousands depend on trading recovered machinery and equipment.
