An improvement in safety measures is in the making for the Bangladesh ship recycling industry after the SENSREC project held a technical workshop on the treatment, storage and disposal of hazardous waste generated from ship recycling in Chittagong. The event was aimed at supporting reforms in the industry to align with provisions of the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships (HKC) which enters into force on 26 June 2025.

At the two-day workshop held on 19 and 20 February, SENSREC presented the contents of a new technical guidance on all aspects of hazardous waste management to 95 participants drawn from supervisory and operational roles representing Bangladesh’s main ship recycling facilities. When published, the guidance report will be a reference with best practices for dealing with hazardous waste, both within ship recycling yards and in downstream treatment, storage and disposal facilities. These measures are based on the experience drawn from across the globe, including technical guidance on hazardous waste and pollutants emanating from the Basel, Rotterdam ad Stockholm Conventions (BRS).

The future end users of the Guidance were apprised of the main technical aspects of hazardous materials, inspection monitoring and compliance, the need for training and capacity development as well as emergency preparedness and response measures.