According to media reports, several German public prosecutors are taking action against German shipowners on a large scale for the first time. The allegation: They are said to have illegally transported ships to South Asia.
According to research by the broadcaster NDR and the Süddeutsche Zeitung, public prosecutors are investigating German shipowners. The case probably extends to the highest floors, because the Association of German Shipowners is also being targeted.
In detail, it is about the transport of disused old merchant ships. Dismantling the ocean liners is labor intensive and expensive. In India, Pakistan or Bangladesh this is much cheaper. Migrant workers often work here under adverse conditions. Environmental standards also hardly play a role. This is one of the reasons why scrap ships are considered hazardous waste. They cannot simply be exported from the European Union. However, many shipowners do so.
Ship scrapping at low budget prices – here in India
Heavy arguments
According to the law, ships sailing in other waters may also be scrapped there. The sale of ships for further operation in Asia does not constitute a breach of the law either. However, if ships are deliberately taken out of EU waters in order to be scrapped elsewhere, this is illegal. Proving intent is therefore difficult for investigators. They need evidence that the decision to scrap was made while the ship concerned was still in the EU. In the case of a ship – the Westerhamm – the public prosecutor sees evidence to be able to prove this. However, these investigations are not yet complete. The presumption of innocence therefore applies.
Poor working conditions and hardly any ecological standards – here at the scrap yard Alang in India
However, the industry will be watching this case closely and it will not be the only one. There had already been several searches in the summer of 2021 and in the spring of this year, and according to the research, the number of suspects is in the double digits. A total of almost 150 ships belonging to German shipowners are said to have been sold to South Asia between 2016 and 2017.
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South Asia's Ship Graveyards
Left Alone
A young scrapper in Chittagong, Bangladesh. Around a quarter of all jobs are under the age of 18. The governments in South Asia are looking the other way. Neither workers nor the environment are protected.
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South Asia's Ship Graveyards
Exploited
Young people and children are paid less, although they often work longer hours than their older colleagues.
South Asia's ship graveyards
Unprotected
There are no helmets, safety shoes or goggles. Serious injuries occur regularly.
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South Asia Ship Graveyards
Burned
Sheju is in Chittagong Hospital. He was severely burned when a fire broke out while working in a ship.
South Asia's Ship Graveyards
Mutilated
Former wrecker Edris lost his leg while working at the ship graveyard .
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South Asia's Ship Graveyards
Poisoned
It's not just the workers who are suffering. Heavy oil, lead, and dozens of other toxins pollute the soil and groundwater around the ship graveyards.
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South Asia's Ship Graveyards
Irreversible
The Destruction of the ecosystem has progressed so far that farming or fishing are hardly possible.
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South Asia's Ship Graveyards
Immigrated
In the Indian alang, the largest ship graveyard in the world, almost all workers are migrants from northern India. They live in simple huts. Since 2009, they have dismantled more than 2600 ships.
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South Asia Ship Graveyards
Spartan
The workers' huts are tiny. There is neither water nor electricity.
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South Asia Ship Graveyards
Exposed
< p>If it rains heavily, the scrappers have to stop their work. Unprotected, they gather on the deck of a shipwreck.
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South Asia's Ship Graveyards
Fascinated
The ship graveyards don't just attract workers. Tourists also come to photograph the morbid beauty of the wrecks.
nm/hb (SZ, NDR, Dlf )