Various ship breaking communities from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh recently held an internal meeting on the sidelines of a ship recycling conference in Dubai. The group has decided to form a common front to oppose the new IMO mandated ship recycling convention which the three countries are planning to ratify, reported the Economic Times.
"We are planning to make one body of the three countries to work against the new stipulation," the publication quoted Pravis Nagarsheth, President of the Iron Steel Scrap & Shipbrokers Association as saying. "India should not ratify the IMO Convention on ship recycling as it is against the interests of the country. The convention is totally one-sided without any obligation to the ship owner or ship builder."
He said that the convention has disregarded the Indian point of view and that by ratifying it, India would only achieve "international interference".
"Whatever regulations that are needed for environmentally sound and labour safe ship recycling in the country can be implemented through national regulations such as the Amendment to Gujarat Maritime Board regulations 2003 and the Comprehensive Code on Ship Recycling being finalised by the steel ministry under the directions of the Supreme Court of India," he continued.
Mr Nagarsheth said that he expected associations in Gujarat to join the group.
