NYK wraps up vessel dismantling in Bangladesh

Japanese shipping industry major NYK and its group company, NYK Bulk & Projects Carriers Ltd., have completed the dismantling of the heavy-lifter vessel, Kamo, at the PHP Ship Recycling Facility in Bangladesh.

The Panama-flagged general cargo ship Kamo was built in 1998.

The NYK Group said it was the first Japanese shipping company to complete dismantling at the yard, meeting ship recycling regulations specified in the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships.

The company revealed that it was sending an end-of-life vessel for green dismantling in Bangladesh back in March. The move was disclosed after the facility become the first yard in Bangladesh to be certified by NYK as compliant with the company’s environmental, safety, and human rights standards. The yard had already secured compliance with the Hong Kong Convention.

To ensure adherence to environmental and safety standards, the NYK Group dispatched supervisors and seafarers who monitored the entire dismantling process, in order to prevent environmental pollution and industrial accidents. Additionally, the NYK Group said it had conducted human rights due diligence, following the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), to ensure that the rights of workers were thoroughly respected.

Bangladesh is among the top three developing nations in South Asia, next to India and Pakistan, where the majority of the world’s ships end up being dismantled.

Being such as important part of the ship-recycling eco-system the country is upping its game on environmental standards amid growing demand for sustainable practices in this sector which has been notorious for safety violations that often resulted in fatalities.

To address these concerns, Bangladesh ratified the Hong Kong Convention on June 26, paving the way for its entry into force on June 26, 2025. During this interim period, international society is expected to collaborate in tackling the issues surrounding ship-recycling yards.

As a result, NYK revealed that it had granted certification to two ship-recycling yards in Bangladesh that meet the company’s high standards.

The move is in line with the group’s medium-term management plan, “Sail Green, Drive Transformations 2026 – A Passion for Planetary Wellbeing,” which revolves around growth strategies with a focus on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors.