With international certifications, advanced safety systems, and eco-friendly infrastructure, KR exemplifies environmental compliance in an industry long criticised for pollution and hazards.
Chattogram’s KR Ship Recycling Yard, a pioneer in environmentally responsible ship dismantling, has been honoured with the Green Factory Award 2025—affirming its status as a model for sustainable industrial transformation in Bangladesh’s historically controversial ship-breaking sector.
The award was conferred at a ceremony on Tuesday at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in Dhaka, hosted by the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) under the Ministry of Labour and Employment. The event celebrated 30 enterprises across garments, leather, pharmaceuticals, steel, shipbuilding and shipbreaking for excellence in low-carbon operations, workplace safety and environmental stewardship.
KR’s managing director Md Taslim Uddin accepted the award, marking a significant recognition for the company’s commitment to reforming a sector once synonymous with environmental degradation and labour rights violations.
Founded in 2013, KR Ship Recycling Yard stands along the Sitakunda coast in Kumira, where it operates on over 18,000 square metres of impermeable concrete—designed to prevent soil and water contamination. Its annual capacity to dismantle up to 120,000 metric tonnes of ships places it among the nation’s most advanced recycling facilities.
The yard was among the first in Bangladesh to achieve compliance with the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, ratified by Bangladesh in 2023. Global classification societies—Class NK (Japan) and Bureau Veritas—have verified KR’s conformity. The facility also maintains four ISO certifications, spanning quality, environmental, occupational health and marine management standards.
KR’s infrastructure includes a 130,000-litre oily water separator, asbestos decontamination systems meeting European benchmarks and robust fire control units. The yard employs around 250 trained workers with regular safety drills, protective gear and on-site health services.
To date, KR has safely dismantled over 43 ships, recovering nearly 400,000 metric tonnes of recyclable steel—each processed with meticulous hazardous material protocols and waste management systems in place.
The award event featured Brigadier General (Retd.) Dr Shakhawat Hossain, Adviser to the Ministry of Labour and Employment, as chief guest. Also present were Adilur Rahman Khan, Adviser to the Ministry of Industries and Housing, Labour Secretary AHM Shafiquzzaman, and DIFE Inspector General Omar Md Imrul Mohsin.
KR’s recognition reflects a larger shift underway in Bangladesh’s industrial landscape—where pockets of innovation and compliance are paving the way for a more sustainable, worker-friendly future.
