ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has launched a Rs12 billion ($43 million) project to modernise the Gadani Ship Breaking Yard recycling facility in Balochistan, aiming to bring the site in line with international environmental and safety standards, Maritime Affairs Minister Junaid Anwar Chaudhry said.
The announcement was made during a meeting on Gadani Ship Breaking Yard recycling facility chaired by Chaudhry, where officials formally began work on upgrading the facility.
Chaudhry said the modernization project would bring Gadani’s ship recycling operations into line with the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships.
Under the Rs12 billion project, the facility will be transformed into a modern and environmentally sustainable ship recycling centre, the minister said.
The government will also take measures to improve the health and welfare of workers at the site, including the construction of a 30-bed hospital, a school and a residential colony for workers, Chaudhry said.
In addition, facilities for managing industrial and hazardous waste will be established at Gadani as part of the upgrade, he said.
The modernization is expected to strengthen the circular economy by improving the recovery and reuse of materials from ships, while also creating employment opportunities and supporting economic activity in the area.
“Economic activity and environmental sustainability will move forward together in Gadani,” Chaudhry said.
The Gadani facility, one of the world’s major ship recycling sites, has faced longstanding concerns over worker safety, environmental protection and waste management. The government says the planned upgrades are intended to address those challenges while making the industry more sustainable.
