Gadani ship-breaking moves towards Hong Kong Convention, BDA briefs Lasbela Commissioner

GADANI: Balochistan Development Authority (BDA) General Manager Ship Breaking Tariq Bizdar and Engineer Mohabbat Khan Babar gave a departmental briefing during the visit of Lasbela Division Commissioner Saira Atta to Gadani.

The briefing was told that the Government of Pakistan set up the BDA in 1974 by approving the BDA Act. In 1978, General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq signed the summary declaring ship recycling on the Gadani coast a formal industry. The BDA has overseen operations and arrangements in the industry for several decades as its regulatory authority.

The Commissioner was told that a memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed between the Pakistan Ship Breakers Association and Bureau Veritas under the Hong Kong Convention. Five leading ship recyclers of Gadani have signed individual agreements for HKC compliance certification. Agreements for preparing Ship Recycling Facility Plans (SRFPs) for each yard have also been signed, and foreign trainers have been hired to give safety training to workers.

Gadani yard an industrial asset of Pakistan

Saira Atta said the Gadani ship-breaking yard is an industrial asset of Pakistan. She said it supplies raw material to the country’s steel industry and provides livelihoods to thousands of people. She said the journey towards sustainable, safe ship recycling of international standard has begun. She said it is the result of the efforts of the Government of Pakistan, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, regulatory bodies and ship breakers, and that Pakistan is ready for environmentally safe recycling under the Hong Kong Convention.

General Manager Ship Breaking Tariq Bizdar said all this is being done not merely for paper compliance but to bring real change under the Hong Kong Convention. He said Pakistan’s ship recycling industry is ready to compete in the global market.

The Commissioner praised the commitment of the BDA, the Environment Department and the Pakistan Ship Breakers Association. She said the day is not far when industrialists here will make Pakistan’s name shine in the global ship-breaking industry.

Photo: courtesy DG PR Balochistan