Hospital ship beached at PHP yard for recycling
Greenpeace's former iconic ship Rainbow Warrior II has recently been beached for recycling at PHP Family Yard in Chattogram, a move that recognises the Bangladesh yard being safe for recycling.
Earlier in November 2012 the Rainbow Warrior II was transformed into Rongdhonu Friendship Hospital on being donated by Luxembourg-based non-government organisation Friendship to provide much-needed healthcare services in coastal areas of Bangladesh.
Two international media outlets, Hellenic Shipping News and Steel 360, reported last week that Rongdhonu has been sold to PHP Family Yard, which is a Hong Kong convention-compliant yard, the first of its kind in Bangladesh.
“This is a very small but iconic vessel,” an official of PHP Family confirmed to The Daily Star about the purchase. PHP bought the 680-tonne ship for $300 a tonne, meaning the total cost was $204,000 (equivalent to Tk 1.71 crore).
He said Greenpeace, which fights for a greener, healthier world through the protection of oceans, forests, food and climate, has recognised that safe and responsible recycling can be conducted in Bangladesh.
For many years, environment activists and NGOs criticised the Indian subcontinent for poor ship recycling facilities and tried to persuade the European Commission to prohibit recycling of EU-flagged vessels here.
“After a lifetime of serving humanity, our second Rainbow Warrior deserves a clean and handsome farewell. We take this opportunity to salute a long-serving friend,” said Greenpeace International representative Daniel Rizzotti in an article which Friendship NGO Luxembourg posted on Medium.com.
He congratulated both Greenpeace and Friendship for actively participating in the green transformation of the ship recycling industry in Bangladesh.
Rainbow Warrior II was built in 1957 in the United Kingdom and Greenpeace International acquired it in 1989. Later, Greenpeace renovated the ship before donating it to the Bangladesh branch of Friendship in 2011.
