Pakistan Initiates ILO-Backed Safety and Environmental Reforms at Gadani Ship‑Breaking Yard
Pakistan has launched a comprehensive diagnostic study at its Gadani Ship‑Breaking Yard, the world’s third‑largest facility of its kind, as part of the “Safe and Environmentally Sound Ship Recycling and Decent Work” initiative jointly led by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The initiative seeks to align local operations with global best practices in occupational safety, environmental protection, gender inclusion, and regulatory compliance.
The study will map key stakeholders across the ship‑recycling value chain, assess training requirements, and identify policy and regulatory gaps. These reforms follow Pakistan’s ratification of the Hong Kong Convention (HKC) in December 2023, which mandates rigorous worker protection, hazardous waste inventories aboard vessels, and adherence to environmental protocols.
Gadani remains economically pivotal, producing more than one million tonnes of scrap steel annually, generating approximately Rs 12 billion in revenue, and employing around 6,000 workers. However, the yard continues to face long‑standing challenges, including outdated infrastructure, limited regulatory enforcement, unsafe working conditions, and inadequate environmental safeguards.
The ILO–IMO initiative has already organized workshops in Karachi, uniting government officials, labour unions, operators, and international experts to review HKC provisions, ILO occupational safety standards, and the Basel Convention on hazardous waste. Field visits to Gadani evaluated critical deficiencies in personal protective equipment, fire safety, and waste management, guiding a technical action plan to enhance workplace conditions.
Pakistan is also preparing to ratify key ILO Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) conventions by 2025, which will strengthen national legal frameworks for safer ship‑recycling operations. The broader aim is to create downstream economic opportunities, such as SMEs in metalworking and recycled material processing, while anchoring the sector in a circular‑economy model.
Geir Thomas Tonstol, ILO Country Director for Pakistan, emphasized that “the management of hazardous waste is both an environmental obligation and a labour‑rights imperative.” He added that the project’s objective is to “strengthen safety standards and ensure decent working conditions for all”.
Internationally, the implementation of the HKC becomes mandatory on 26 June 2025, and compliance will require significant upgrades in infrastructure, worker training, and regulatory capacity in Pakistan and across South Asia. This ILO–IMO initiative marks a crucial phase in Pakistan’s efforts to modernize Gadani, enhancing worker safety, environmental protection, and its standing in the global ship‑recycling market.
