Bangladeshi shipbreaking yard Ferdous Steel has been fined a total of $4,000 following a fatal gas poisoning incident last week. The company was carrying out ship recycling operations without a valid environmental clearance: the document had expired and had not been renewed.
The violation was discovered during an inspection following the accident aboard the gas carrier Rasi, which was being dismantled at the Ferdous Steel site. The environmental clearance itself is not directly related to onboard safety issues, but the fine was the first penalty imposed as part of the investigation into the incident.
The company must pay the fine within seven days. In addition, the shipyard's operations have been suspended pending consideration of its application to renew the environmental clearance. According to Bangladesh's Department of Environment, the owner of the company admitted the violation.
Hydrogen Sulfide Leak
On August 14, nine workers died as a result of a toxic hydrogen sulfide leak while cutting into a ballast tank aboard the gas carrier Rasi. Several other people were injured.
Hydrogen sulfide is produced when organic matter decomposes in the absence of oxygen and poses a known hazard in confined spaces filled with wastewater. However, it remains unclear how the gas concentration inside the tank reached a level capable of causing almost instantaneous death.
The vessel had been decommissioned and had remained ashore for more than a year. During an inspection following the accident, black sediment was found in three ballast tanks. Samples of the water inside them were sent to a chemical laboratory for analysis.
Investigation Continues
The cause of the incident is being investigated. A contractor has been hired to eliminate the remaining hazards in the ballast tanks. Inspectors warned that the contaminated water may still contain a high concentration of dissolved hydrogen sulfide and must therefore be removed with extreme caution.
