Environment ministry suspends clearance for SN Corporation, MT Swarajya scrap ship
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The Department of Environment has suspended the environmental clearance for S.N. Corporation (Unit-2) and the MT. SWARAJYA scrap ship, halting all ship-breaking activities following a recent fatal accident.
On the directive of Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Advisor to the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, the Department of Environment suspended the clearance due to an accident that resulted in casualties.
A show-cause notice has been issued, requiring an explanation within three working days as to why their operations should not be permanently shut down. Until further notice, all ship-breaking activities related to the Swarajya scrap ship will remain suspended, according to a statement from the environment ministry.
On Saturday, an explosion occurred during the cutting of the MT. SWARAJYA scrap ship at the S.N. Corporation (Unit-2) ship-breaking yard in Sitakunda, Chattogram. The incident injured 12 workers and resulted in one death.
Initial investigations revealed violations of several conditions of the environmental clearance for the ship-breaking yard, the statement read.
It is also believed that the conditions of the scrap ship’s clearance were breached. As a result, the environmental clearances for S.N. Corporation (Unit-2) and the MT. SWARAJYA scrap ship have been suspended, and all ship-breaking activities have been halted, it added.