Two more Chattogram shipbreaking yards secure green certification
According to the Bangladesh Ship Recycling Board, 25 yards in the country have so far received green yard certification from different classification societies
Two ship recycling yards in Chattogram have secured green yard certification from certification body ClassNK, taking the total number of such compliant facilities in Bangladesh to 25, according to industry data.
The newly certified yards — NB Steel, a concern of KR Group in North Salimpur, and Arab Ship Breaking and Recycling Limited of NR Group in South Shitalpur, Sitakunda — received the Statement of Compliance on 18 March.
With these additions, the number of yards in Bangladesh certified by ClassNK has risen to seven. The others are PHP Ship Breaking and Recycling Industry, Kabir Ship Recycling Facilities, SN Corporation, KR Ship Recycling Yard and HM Shipping Lines.
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A green yard refers to a facility that complies with the International Maritime Organization's guidelines for safe and environmentally sound ship recycling under the Hong Kong Convention.
Industry insiders said such certification is increasingly becoming a requirement for securing business from leading global shipowners, many of whom now demand strict compliance with environmental and labour standards.
Mohammad Taslim Uddin, managing director of NB Steel, said the certification reflects recent upgrades in machinery and operational processes.
"With modern equipment in place, we will be able to recycle ships in an environmentally sound manner while ensuring worker safety. This will also help us gain priority from leading global shipping companies," he said.
Nur Uddin Rubel, chairman of Arab Ship Breaking and Recycling Limited, said the company invested more than Tk70 crore to develop infrastructure in line with international standards.
"We have imported heavy equipment to automate operations and trained our workers to handle ship recycling in a compliant manner," he said.
He added that the yard underwent rigorous audits by ClassNK before receiving the certification and would maintain environmental and workplace safety standards.
According to the Bangladesh Ship Recycling Board, 25 yards in the country have so far received green yard certification from different classification societies, including ClassNK, ClassIR and Bureau Veritas.
The rising number of compliant yards indicates a gradual shift in Bangladesh's ship recycling industry towards safer, cleaner and more internationally accepted practices.
