PHP Ship Breaking and Recycling Industries Ltd has become the first ship recycling facility in Bangladesh to receive a ship from Japan for recycling.

Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK), Japan has directly sold their vessel – MV Kamo – for recycling it at PHP Ship Recycling Facility in Chattogram under close supervision of the NYK team. The ship reached Chattogram on March 9, 2023.

The development came as NYK certified the PHP Ship Recycling Facility for meeting its standards for ship-recycling measures pertaining to the environment, safety, occupational health, and respect for human rights.

The certification and recycling of the ship is a milestone for the ship recycling industry in Bangladesh as the NYK is the first Japanese company to become a signatory to the UN Global Compact Sustainable Ocean Principles.

It is also the first Japanese shipping company to participate in the Ship Recycling Transparency Initiative (SRTI), an information-disclosure platform concerning the ship recycling process, says the NYK. 

The NYK Group sends supervisors to yards that have been certified by classification societies to confirm that the yards also meet NYK’s stricter standards.

NYK conducts ship recycling at these certified yards, which currently total 30 in India, three in China, and one in Turkey. During vessel dismantling at PHP Ship Recycling Facility, a supervisor sent from our group’s ship-management company monitors the process.

The NYK Group based in Tokyo employs about 35,000 people worldwide, having regional headquarters in London, New York, New Jersey, Singapore, and Shanghai. Founded in 1885, it is one of the world’s leading transportation companies.

At the end of March 2022, the NYK Group was operating 814 major ocean vessels, as well as fleets of planes and trucks.

Md Zahirul Islam Rinku, managing director of PHP Ship Breaking and Recycling Industries Ltd, said, “PHP SRF is committed to ensuring compliance and continual improvement in the ship recycling process.

“Acknowledging the efforts of the nation, PHP SRF and partners toward the ratification of HKC, PHP believes that this step further will encourage safer and greener ship recycling practices in Bangladesh.”

He added that PHP SRF is the first-ever sustainable green ship recycling facility in the country, certified by ClassNK, a leading classification agency from Japan, for Statement of Compliance to Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships.

“Due to maintaining its standard and compliance for the last few years, PHP SRF has been awarded with ISO 50001:2018 – Energy Management System Certificate. This is the first-ever and only certificate issued till now to any ship recycling facility in the world,” he pointed out.

PHP SRF is also the pioneer for different management system certification like ISO 9001 – Quality Management System, ISO 14001 – Environment Management System, ISO 45001 – Occupational Health and Safety Management System and ISO 30000:2009 – Ship Recycling Management System in the country from Bureau Veritas.

“The achievement is not a small feat. It is the culmination of 12 years of intensive hard work, building the facility’s concrete floors and concrete slipway, procuring the best equipment and aggressively training of staff to perform the highest level of standards. All of which required an investment of $11 million so far,” he said. 

Following these attributes for more than the last one decade, they have been trying to improve the image of Bangladesh Ship Recycling Industry and make history.

Asked about the future plan, he said that they want to show the world that responsible and sustainable ship recycling is possible in Bangladesh and by getting MV Kamo, PHP has demonstrated that this recycling facility is one of the best in the world.