Story perspectives

Shipbreaking deaths prompt audit after missing degassing step

8/15/2026

Summary

Ferdous Steel Leak

A toxic gas leak at Ferdous Steel Shipbreaking Yard in Chittagong killed eight workers.
Senior police official Abdul Kuddus Chowdhury confirmed the deaths and ordered a committee and audit.
Fire service official Towfiqul Islam Bhuiyan said safety was ignored because the vessel was not cleared of gas.
Firefighters recovered three bodies and moved unconscious workers to hospital.
Authorities continue searching for missing workers, with Ferdous Steel remaining silent publicly.

Summary

Sitakunda Skips Degassing

The Sitakunda shipbreaking sector handles about 36% of global ship scrapping, generates $2.46 billion a year, and employs tens of thousands across 150 yards.
Environmental groups say ships bring hazardous waste from the West, polluting the coast with toxic residues.
Officials noted that the former LNG carrier was scrapped without the required degassing step.
Analysts warn that skipping degassing raises liability and could prompt regulators to tighten safety rules.

History

Historical Context

In 2016 a gas-cylinder explosion killed dozens at Pakistan’s Gadani yard, highlighting safety risks in shipbreaking. Competition from Alang (India) and Chittagong (Bangladesh) had cut Gadani’s output from about one million tonnes in the 1980s to under 160,000 tonnes by 2001, prompting duty cuts that revived jobs. The recent toxic-gas leak at Bangladesh’s Ferdous Steel Yard echoes past incidents and drives stricter degassing rules.

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Ferdous Steel Leak

A toxic gas leak at Ferdous Steel Shipbreaking Yard in Chittagong killed eight workers.
Senior police official Abdul Kuddus Chowdhury confirmed the deaths and ordered a committee and audit.
Fire service official Towfiqul Islam Bhuiyan said safety was ignored because the vessel was not cleared of gas.
Firefighters recovered three bodies and moved unconscious workers to hospital.
Authorities continue searching for missing workers, with Ferdous Steel remaining silent publicly.

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