Hong Kong Convention round table in Bangladesh30 August, 2023A round table meeting was convened by IndustriALL in Bangladesh on 30 August, bringing together government, shipbreaking yard employers and local unions to plan the way forward after the country’s ratification of the Hong Kong Convention.
Shipbreaking unions plan for entry into force of Hong Kong Convention 27 November, 2023South Asian shipbreaking unions met in Kathmandu, Nepal, on 24-25 November, to evaluate a three-year organizing project supported by FNV Mondiaal, which ends this year. The industry is going through tremendous change as it prepares for the entry into force of the Hong Kong Convention (HKC).
Pakistan ratifies the Hong Kong Convention6 December, 2023Pakistan becomes the 23rd country to ratify the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships. The Convention is set to come into force in June 2025.
Deadly explosion at shipyard in Bangladesh13 September, 2024UPDATE: On 7 September, a deadly explosion claimed the lives of seven workers and seriously injured more than ten others at a ship recycling yard in Bangladesh compliant with the Hong Kong Convention.
Shipbuilding and shipbreaking world conference calls for sustainable industry transformation 17 October, 2024Union leaders from 16 countries gathered in Glasgow, 15 and 16 October, at IndustriALL’s shipbuilding and shipbreaking world conference, uniting around a vision for safer, fairer, and sustainable industry standards in two of the world’s most dangerous sectors. This forum called for bold change, demanding stronger worker protections, sustainable practices, and global solidarity.
Lives saved, ships broken: the human cost and promise of ship recycling17 April, 2025Progress has never come easy to the shipbreaking yards of South Asia. Dangerous conditions, fragmented regulation and deep-rooted employer control have long defined an industry that dismantles the world’s ships, and too often, the people working on them.
Milestone for shipbreaking workers as global Convention comes into force 26 June, 2025Today, 26 June, marks the entry into force of the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships (HKC), a landmark step for workers in what is often called the world’s most dangerous industry.
Alang workers, industry and global allies unite for Hong Kong Convention3 July, 2025In a display of unity, workers, government, industry and global organizations came together to mark the historic entry into force of the Hong Kong Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships (HKC) on 26 June 2025. To commemorate this milestone, a tripartite meeting and workers’ rally were held on 29 June in Alang, India—home to some of the world’s largest ship recycling yards led by the Alang Sosiya Ship Recycling and General Workers’ Association (ASSRGWA), reaffirming their shared commitment to fair and effective implementation of the Convention.
Worker killed at Kabir Steel shipbreaking yard11 February, 2022On 31 January, a worker was killed in an accident at Kabir Steel shipbreaking yard in Sitakunda municipality, Chittagong, Bangladesh, while working at night – despite a court order prohibiting the practice.
Banks and shipowners join campaign for the safe recycling of ships24 November, 2017IndustriALL took forward the campaign for the safe recycling of ships at a series of recent meetings in The Netherlands.
