The multi-million ship-breaking industry has one of the highest accident rates (2/1,000) in the world making it worse than even the mining industry.
In January 2013, three workers have died while dismantling ships in the Alang beach in Gujarat but their families will receive no compensation as none of these workers were insured.
Worse, the National Institute of Occupational Health, Ahmedabad, has revealed that over 16 per cent of the workforce in the ship-breaking industry suffer from asbestos exposure.
Dr H.N. Saiyed, former NIOH, diagnosed 36 workers suffering from severe asbestos disorders. NGOs working in Gujarat claim the figure is between 60-65 per cent of the workers.
Asbestos exposure causes mesothelioma, a rare cancer of the lining of the lung and abdominal cavity apart from increasing the risk of autoimmune diseases.
Dr R.B. Raidas, deputy director-general, of Directorate General Factory Advice Service & Labour Institute who pointed out that a study on 8000 workers in the ship breaking industry had revealed that 228 workers were suffering from asbestos related diseases.
Meanwhile the number of ships being dumped in Indian waters in 2012 has doubled from 2011. Occupational Health India and Toxics Watch Alliance who track shipbreaking operations point out that while the number of ships in 2011 were around 250, the number had shot up to 415 in 2012.
Greek shipowners have topped the list by dumping 167 ships on South Asian beaches followed by Germans (48 ships) and UK (30 ships).
Most of these ships however carry flags of Panama, Liberia, Bahamas and St Kitts-and-Nevis. So far, 5924 ships have been dumped in India.
The Brussels-based NGO Shipbreaking Platform are trying to pressurise the European Parliaments to introduce a financial mechanism that would make shipowners pay the cost of disposal of all hazardous material found in end-of-life vessels with little effect.
Meanwhile, NGOs are putting pressure on the ministry of labour and the ministry of mines to ensure compensation is paid at par with workers in the construction and mining industry.