Chattogram Bureau :
A 14-member delegation of Japanese Ship Owners’ Association (JSOA) exchanged views with members of Bangladesh Ship Breakers and Recyclers Association (BSBRA) at Hotel Radisson Blu Bay View in the Port City recently.
JSOA Vice President Keiji Tomoda was the chief guest at the meeting. The special guest was the keynote speaker of GMS Anil F Sharma, NYK Line General Manager and Japanese Ship Recycling Committee member Takuya Koizumi, NS United Kaiyun Kaisa and Japanese Recycling Committee alternate member Hiroki Tanaka, Class NK Manager Takeshi Naroshi, Director of MLIT Masanori Yusida, NYK Line Manager Jigami Nabuyuki, KA Deputy General Manager Kudu Yasushi, JSA Deputy Manager Yamagami Hiroyuki, NK Class TLD Taniguchi Ryuya, In Corporation JNS Atsuki Sumiyuki, MOL’s Takahashi Nabuyuki and Akiyama Nayuki.
BSBRA executive committee member Shaukat Ali Chowdhury, BSBRA vice president Zahirul Islam Rinku spoke.
The Japanese delegation visited the Treatment Storage and Disposal Facility (TSDF) site at Sitakunda and the country’s first green ship yard PHP Ship Recyclers Yard last Saturday morning. At the same time, the workers of the ship breaking industry formed a human chain in front of the Bhatiari Banur Bazar BSBRA office to move the ship reprocessing industry back from ‘red’ category to orange category.
According to the workers, many ship owners are unable to start cutting operations due to not getting permission from the Department of Environment. Workers are losing their jobs. Looking at them, the Department of Environment should speed up the ship breaking industry by solving such complications. If this continues, the yard owners will suffer as well as the workers will become unemployed.