The world’s largest cash buyer of ships for recycling says that this
week’s news that two ship recycling yards in Alang, India have received Hong
Kong Convention status for the safe recycling ships shows that there are some
responsible yards along Alang’s infamous stretch of beach.
The cash buyer, GMS, welcomed the news that the two yards, Kalthia and
Priya Blue Industries, have been issued Statements of Compliance (SoC) by
Japanese classification society ClassNK for the Hong Kong International
Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, 2009,
verifying that the yards comply with all technical standards of the pending
convention.
Both facilities are located Gujarat, India, home to the infamous Alang
ship breaking beaches known for their harmful beaching practices and and
dangerously sub-standard conditions for its workers. The two yards are not only
the first ship recycling facilities in Alang to be granted SoCs, but the first
two in all of South Asia, including India, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
GMS has long been a supporter of responsible recycling yards in Alang.
Earlier this year, GMS organized a 14-strong Japanese industry and
government delegation visit to India so that officials could see for themselves
the improvements being made by some of ship recycling yards in Gujarat. A
separate visit, also organised by GMS, hosted a delegation from the Danish
Shipping Association (DSA) to witness those improved yards.
GMS hopes that that the visits help make the important distinction
between yards that use beaching and comply with the Hong Kong Convention on
Ship Recycling and those that do not.
Dr Anil Sharma founder and CEO of GMS said: “I am so pleased that both
these yards have finally won Hong Kong Convention status. This really does
prove beyond doubt that not all beaching is bad. GMS has argued that declaring
blanket bans on beaching without viewing individual upgraded sites is
short-sighted and these Statements of Compliance really do vindicate our
position.
“This news will have a positive effect by encouraging other yards in
Alang and the rest of the Asian sub-continent to follow suit and upgrade their
facilities to achieve similar recognition.”
The The Hong Kong Convention was adopted in May 2009 and is aimed at
ensuring that ships that have reached the end of their operational lives do not
pose any unnecessary risk to human health and safety or to the environment. The
convention will enter into force 24 months after the ratification by 15 states,
representing 40% of world merchant shipping by gross tonnage and a maximum
annual ship recycling volume not less than 3% of the combined tonnage of the
ratifying States.
In recent years, India has lost some of its market share in the ship
scrapping industry to places like China and even Turkey, where more advanced
facilities are attracting shipowners with government help and under new
pressure. Cheap Chinese steel is also seen causing problems for Alang, where
the number of ship breakers has declined by 50% in the past year alone,
according to the Ship Recycling Industries Association of India.
Still, India and Bangladesh led in the number of
ships scrapped in the first half of 2015 with 69 and 66, respectively, of the
262 scrapped worldwide, according to the NGO Shipbreaking Platform. China
scrapped a close 65 ships during the same time.
Source: GC
Captain. 1 October 2015
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