Hongkong convention: impact on environment due to refrigeration waste in ship recycling: an Indian perspective

Abstract

Considering strict environmental concerns and compliances to protect our Globe, sustainable developments in maritime domains comprises of ship building process, transport by shipping and ship recycling process. All three phases having concerns to environmental impacts, but evidence of the impacts of present ship recycling process undermines the Maritime Education’s contribution to sustainable development. Ship breaking process includes complete scrapping or partially dismantling of vessels. At the yard, various parts, equipment, hull sections, superstructure materials, pipes, gears etc. are segregated after dismantling. These segregated scraps are recycled and re-use in various industry which is the most important business for ship breaking industry. About 85% ship recycling of the globe are mainly in Bangladesh, India, China and Pakistan, where environmental impacts and health hazards are serious concerns same mentioned by Vally Athanasopoulou. In India, ship recycling process from long time is following in primitive way which is unsafe and has tremendous health hazards.