The abandoned ship that met with an accident at the Ferdous Steel Shipbreaking Yard in Sitakunda, Chittagong, contained toxic hydrogen sulfide. The level of this toxic gas was 100 ppm at the time of the accident. Nine workers died due to the effects of this gas, which is extremely harmful to the human body, according to officials from the Department of Explosives.
In addition, a delegation led by the Secretary of the Ministry of Industries on Saturday also confirmed that the ship contained toxic hydrogen. Although three investigation committees were formed to investigate the cause of the accident, no case was filed in two days. Police say they are waiting for the family members of the victims. If the affected family members do not file a case, the police will file a case.
Meanwhile, the Ferdous Steel Shipbreaking Yard has been closed indefinitely in this incident. Experts say that hydrogen sulfide is produced in the shipbreaking industry because there is no oxygen in the confined spaces of old ships. However, the ship has to be broken up after removing these toxic gases. But the Ferdous Shipbreaking Yard authorities sent workers to break up the ship without removing the harmful gases. This loss of life occurred because the Ferdous Shipbreaking Yard authorities sent workers to break up the ship. They said that 0.01-10 ppm of hydrogen sulfide causes eye irritation and breathing problems. And 100 ppm can cause severe breathing problems and headaches, causing anyone to lose consciousness. It can even affect the lungs and cause death from a heart attack, which happened to those 9 workers.
Those concerned say that the international organizations that issue green certificates to shipyards must also have proper supervision. Because it is necessary to monitor whether the standards on which the certificates were issued are being followed or not and whether the safety aspects are being maintained regularly. Besides, government departments cannot avoid responsibility either.
In this regard, Professor Mohammad Nasir Uddin of the Department of Chemistry of Chittagong University said, “If hydrogen sulfide is present, the normal breathing process of any healthy person will stop. If it is present in large quantities, many people die.” He also said that hydrogen sulfide is produced in an oxygen-free environment when exposed to any chemical. Perhaps the gases were trapped in a place on the ship. The accident occurred when that place was cut. He said that the amount of damage might have been less if there was a specialized mask on the face.
SM Sakhawat Hossain, assistant inspector of the Department of Explosives, said, “We went to inspect the place after at least four hours but found the presence of hydrogen at a level of 10.8 ppm. This suggests that it was at least above 100 ppm when the incident occurred.”
Meanwhile, questions have been raised about the quality of the green shipyards in Sitakunda after the accident. Those concerned say that accidents are not stopping even after they become green. 161 people have died in the last 13 years. Of these, 15 people have died in two separate accidents at two green shipyards in the last three years.
It is known that accidents decrease as yards start to go green. However, in September 2024, six people died in a terrible explosion at the SN Corporation Green Shipyard. Most recently, nine people died in a gas leak incident at Ferdous Steel last Friday. This has created new uncertainty.
There have been allegations that despite being a green yard, accidents are increasing due to the negligence of the owners and the tendency to cut ships in a hurry. Since the owners are in control of safety issues, they are running the yard carelessly.
According to BSBRA, the shipbreaking industry owners’ organization, the shipbreaking industry in Sitakunda, Chittagong has become a 100% green yard from 2025 as per the Hong Kong Convention. Although there are still a few non-green yards, those yards are not able to bring ships due to legal obligations. There are allegations that they are fulfilling the legal obligations by getting a green yard certificate from a nameless company by just paving the floor and bringing a few modern cranes. But the rules and regulations of the actual green yard are not being followed.
Mohammad Ali Shaheen, Head of Advocacy at Young Power in Social Action (YPSA), an organization that monitors shipbreaking yards, said that three organizations, namely Japan’s Class NK, France’s Bureau Veritas and India’s IRS, are currently providing green certification to shipbreaking yards. Among them, Japan’s Class NK standard is considered the highest. However, although there are 23 shipyards in Sitakunda that are green yards, only five have this Class NK certificate. The remaining 18 are operating as nominal green yards with certificates from India’s IRS.
He said that the Indian company does not give much importance to safety and security. Although the policy of the Green Yard does not allow workers to be sent on ships without PPE, nothing was allowed at the Ferdous Shipbreaking Yard. We did not see the deceased workers wearing anything other than their uniforms. However, there is no possibility of boarding the ship without masks, hand gloves, and gumboots.
Fazlul Karim Mintu, coordinator of the Chittagong center of the Bangladesh Institution of Labor Studies (BILS), said that just as shipyards that have gone green need to be kept under strict surveillance, new yards that are going green need to be supervised. Government offices, especially the Department of Explosives, cannot avoid responsibility, he said. According to 2025 data from the US research institute Micro Think Institute, over 400 workers working in the shipbreaking industry in Chittagong have died and over 6,000 have been seriously injured due to lack of adequate safety measures in the last two decades.
According to Human Rights Watch, the average life expectancy of male workers in Bangladesh’s shipbreaking industry is about 20 years shorter than the national average. According to the organization, about 20,000 Bangladeshi workers have broken up more than 520 ships since 2020.
Meanwhile, the Industries Ministry, the district administration and the BSBRA have formed three separate investigation committees to investigate the cause of the gas leakage accident at Ferdous Shipyard. Visiting the accident-hit yard yesterday, Industries Ministry Secretary Abdun Naser Khan said that a report will be submitted within the next seven days. If anyone’s negligence, neglect of duty or safety deficiencies are found in the investigation, strict legal action will be taken. He questioned why the workers were working on Friday, a holiday.
Sitakunda Police Station OC Mohinul Islam said that no case had been filed in the incident till Saturday evening. The police are continuing to communicate with the family members of the deceased. If the family members do not file a case, the police will file a case against the yard owner and others involved.
