ABSTRACT
The global shipping industry relies upon the developing world to dispose of retired deep-sea vessels through the process of ship-breaking. In doing so, the industry avoids the burdens of complying with developed world standards for the management of hazardous waste. Occupational and environmental health (OEH) risks associated with dismantling of beached ships, primarily in India and Bangladesh, are significant. Worldwide concerns about these risks, which arose in the late 1990s, and activism by domestic organizations appear to be gathering momentum for global and domestic OEH reforms (Rousmaniere and Raj 2007: 359). While ships are designed, constructed and operated in an environment of high technology and legislative control, their disposal is usually undertaken in a distinctly opposing environment of low-cost, low-technology, high-labour content, high-risk and minimal or minimally enforced legislation (Galley 2014: 10).
