A new venture in green scrapping: Aims to provide a green ship recycling service

Green scrapping of ships is being launched by leading figures behind Maersk Ship Management Recycling and aims to provide an absolutely green recycling service.

It will provide services for brokers, yards and owners - including AP Moller-Maersk - and will focus on the safe and environmentally sound recycling of ships and floating structures.

The venture, Sea2Cradle, is being spearheaded by Tom Peter Blankestijn, director of Maersk Ship Management Recycling, and colleague Wouter Rozenfeld.

Sea2Cradle,which is based in Rotterdam,follows AP Moller-Maersk's recent decision to pull out of the green recycling of ships for third-party owners and close its operation, which it views as non-core.

It started the activity after taking over P&O Nedlloyd, where Blankestijn was also active. Blankestijn and Rozenfeld have more than 11 years' experience in green ship recycling with AP Moller-Maersk, which is said to be in full agreement with Sea2Cradle's launch.

Operations  have mostly focussed on using yards in China, although Blankestijn says Sea2Cradle plans also to utilise Van Heyghen in Ghent, Belgium, part of the international Galloo Recycling Group.

The Belgian yard has scrapped UK Ministry of Defence vessels, among others.

Sea2Cradle will have three shareholders including managing director Blankestijn and director of operations Rozenfeld.

The other stakeholder is international management-consultancy group called Oxalis, involving four people who have huge experience in the maritime sector.

Among them is Rutger van Slobbe, a former executive director of P&O Nedloyd and currently chairman of Cargonaut's supervisory board and a member of Dutch heavylift player Dockwise's supervisory board.

Sea2Cradle will offer a full service embracing the provision of ship-recycling plans and inventories of hazardous materials (IHMs), as well as assisting owners during last voyages and the yard recycling process.

It also intends to provide training at yards and, building on existing contacts with recyclers, brokerage services where required.

A long-term agreement to assist AP Moller-Maersk provides Sea-2Cradle with marketing credibility, although the young age profile of the "Big Blue" fleet and its frequent sale of ships well before they reach scrapping age means only three or four are typically recycled each year.

Most activity at Maersk Ship Management Recycling, which Sea2Cradle effectively replaces, has historically involved overseeing in China the scrapping of third-party tonnage, including large car carriers, tankers for oil majors and marine-survey vessels. It is said that nearly 20 vessels were recycled in 2010.

Blanjkestijn says Sea2Cradle will sign strategic partnerships with at least four recycling yards in China, as well as Van Heyghen in Belgium and potentially also Turkish yards.

Sea2Cradle's launch coincides with an increasing focus on green recycling and the new Hong Kong Convention, which, says the company, will result in many changes in the industry.

Although the convention may not enter into force for several years, Sea2Cradle hopes to benefit from owners' early and voluntarily implementation of future obligations such as with IHMs.

It has been agreed that Sea2Cradle will take over existing Maersk Ship Management Recycling contracts involving at least four ships. Sea2Cradle will have a staff of eight located in Rotterdam and China who are said to have recycled more than 60 vessels in the past decade.

The intention is to ink partnership agreements with not only yards and owners but also brokers, classification societies and other stakeholders in what is described as a commitment to zero accidents and zero pollution.

As well as ships, the company is targeting offshore structures containing hazardous materials, including in the North Sea and Southeast Asia.

Source: Safety4Sea. 28 June 2011

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