In the summer of 2021, Mohammed Biplob, 35, was working at Arefin Enterprise, a shipyard in Chattogram Bangladesh, dismantling a 24-year-old bulk carrier ship called the Max. On August 23, he was torching through a pipe in the engine room when it suddenly exploded. Biplob said the explosion threw him against the wall, severely burning his face and breaking his back. He lost consciousness, only becoming alert when he realized his coworkers were carrying him to the road. He said at the time he could see what was happening but couldn’t speak. Biplob’s family sold all their land to pay for his continued medical treatment and he now runs a tea stall to support them.
Arefin Enterprise is just one of about 30 yards currently actively operating in Bangladesh where workers break down the world’s ships once they are no longer seaworthy. Companies like Arefin Enterprise purchase end-of-life ships, take them apart, and sell the metal and other materials after the ship is dismantled. Shipbreaking is an extremely lucrative industry for Bangladesh, contributing an estimated $2 billion to the country’s economy. More than half of the steel used in Bangladesh comes from ships broken down in Chattogram.
However, the industry in Bangladesh is highly dangerous and unregulated. Biplob explained that some regulations that could have prevented his injury were not followed. For instance, he said nobody checked the pipe, which had apparently been full of octane, to see whether it was “gas-free for hot work” as is required by Bangladesh law. Arefin Enterprise paid for Biplob’s 8-day emergency treatment and about US$160 in compensation—far less than the nearly $2,000 he was owed under Bangladesh law. But Biplob said the owner of the Max should also be held responsible.
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