US-based
MER Group to create 700 jobs in Puerto Rico as a new global industry standard
is set for ship recycling and materials reclamation.
Ceiba,
Puerto Rico - A new ship recycling facility, representing a new era for safe
and environmentally sustainable operations and industrial development in Puerto
Rico, has been established on the grounds of the former US Naval Base at
Roosevelt Roads, in Ceiba, Puerto Rico, by the US-based Marine Environmental
Remediation Group (MER). The new facility will initially employ approximately
700 people and will inject into the economy an estimated capital investment of
$19 million for the reclamation of steel and other metals recovered using
state- of-the-art “green” technology, and the re-selling of vessel machinery
and equipment recycled from sea-going vessels and platforms which have been
retired from use. The 4,000 LDT retired pipe-laying vessel Lone Star has
already been moved into place as preparations for recycling begin. “We would
like to thank Governor Alejandro García Padilla and his office, Secretary of
Economic Development and Commerce Alberto Bacó Bagué and his staff, the
Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Industrial Development Company (PRIDCO)
Antonio Medina Comas and his entire staff, especially Jan Modesti Torres,
Executive Director Malu Blázquez Arsuaga and the staff of the Local
Redevelopment Authority for Roosevelt Roads (LRA), Mayor of Ceiba Angelo Cruz
Ramos, Mayor of Naguabo Noé Marcano Rivera, and the Executive Director of
INDUNIV Research Consortium Iván Lugo, and many others who have all played a
substantial role in helping to create this tremendous opportunity to make the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico the new home of world-leading technology and
environmentally-friendly vessel recycling operations” said MER CEO, Martin
Vulaj.
Operated
locally by MER Group Puerto Rico, the newly refitted MER Group US East
Coast/Caribbean Facility has been established on land leased from the Local
Redevelopment Authority. The recycling operations will employ technological
innovation and patented proprietary procedures, which significantly reduce risk
to the environment and the safety of personnel associated with conventional
ship-breaking activities.
“Steel is
a uniquely recyclable metal because the recycling process does not
significantly diminish the strength of the material. Recycling steel benefits
the environment because it provides an economic alternative to mining and
smelting ore. Since ships are made almost entirely of steel, they provide an
efficient way to produce large quantities of high-quality steel for recycling,
and processed plate and structural steel from ships is in great demand worldwide”
noted MER Group Clarence LaMora. MER will supply the steel produced at
Roosevelt Roads to consumers around the world, which will result in increased
global trade with Puerto Rico.
Worldwide,
ship recycling provides more than 600 million tons of steel and other recovered
materials, representing approximately 40% of global demand for raw materials,
and generating a combined revenue exceeding $200 billion. In 2014, facilities
in India, China, Pakistan and Bangladesh represented 91% of all vessel demolition,
with India holding the largest market share. Considerably stricter
environmental regulations in the United States and Europe require vessel
demolition to be carried out at facilities conforming to recently established
and considerably higher operational standards, creating a new market for
advanced vessel recycling technologies and procedures.
Green: MER
has pioneered an environmentally-sensitive process of dismantling obsolete
vessels that meets or exceeds all U.S. EPA, OSHA, state and Commonwealth regulations.
These standards will also become the required performance levels for European
Union-flagged and owned ships under the new EU Ship Recycling Regulation.
Conventional ship breakers, on the other hand, simply drag a vessel up onto the
beach, where the hull is cut into sections with any contaminants dropping
directly onto the ground, and exposed to the open air.
The
difference in the MER approach is to utilize a vertical reduction employing a
Ship’s WaistcoatTM (a proprietary invention developed by MER), which prevents
contaminants from touching the surrounding water. Vessel deconstruction is
performed through the removal of larger intact sections (referred to as
“modules”) while maintaining the ship’s watertight integrity, trim and
stability. The modules are then transported to an indoor cutting facility that
captures and filters contaminants that would otherwise simply be released into
the air. Inside, the modules are processed to appropriately sized recyclable
material. MER also takes the step of storing its processed metal under cover to
avoid contamination of the environment from stormwater runoff. Once the ship
has been reduced to the lower hull area, still afloat and capable of being
towed, the remaining section (referred to as the “canoe”) is towed either to a
dry dock or to MER’s Peerless Roller Slip (another proprietary invention
developed by MER to protect the environment by keeping the hull of the ship off
the ground - and out of contact with the soil) in which the final cleaning and
demolition is performed. Once finished and all the sections of the ship have
been removed, the Peerless Roller Slip is scoured, removing any potential
environmental contamination, prior to being re-used to receive the next canoe.
Safe:
Conventional ship breakers disassemble ships with little regard for the
engineering involved in the original construction, and workers are provided
little or no instruction and are rarely provided adequate protective equipment.
Sadly, due to a lack of organization, training and protection, fires,
explosions and serious injuries and deaths are common at conventional
shipbreaking yards. MER’s operations, by contrast, are carefully managed and
the disassembly of each ship is carefully planned before operations begin.
MER’s entire recycling team is rigorously trained and certified by a
professional training staff for the work that is performed and all operations
are supervised by expert managers and foremen who have years of experience
conducting this work safely. “MER’s core is supported by the men and women in
the operations department who recycle these ships. We as a company owe it to
our teammates to keep them safe by reducing risks that could cause workplace
accidents, and this is accomplished through the development of a culture of safety
in operations which is achieved by training and certification, safety
awareness, and provision of all appropriate protective equipment,” said Mr.
LaMora.
Former US
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Christine Todd Whitman said
“MER Group’s patented technology and processes will revolutionize the ship
recycling industry and will help to turn currently unsafe and environmentally
unsound practices into a thing of the past. We at the Whitman Strategy Group
are pleased to continue our association with MER Group and look forward to
seeing economic growth and job creation emerge from these efforts.” The Whitman
Strategy Group joined MER’s Advisory Board in October and added their expertise
to that of retired US Navy Rear Admiral Richard Camacho, former CEO of BAE
Systems Ship Repair Bill Clifford, and former CEO of Stanships Paul Sa.
With
almost 3,000 linear feet of quay at the current facility, MER will be able to
accommodate multiple vessels simultaneously. MER plans to recycle at least 50,000
LDTs annually. The Atlantic VII, a 3,124 DWT retired general cargo vessel built
in 1977 is currently being towed to the new MER US East Coast/Caribbean
Facility, and will arrive in the next few days, and MER is in the process of
acquiring additional ships for processing at its new facility in Puerto Rico.
MER is also actively hiring and training for the 700 full-time, permanent
skilled jobs that are being created in Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico.
Source:
American Journal of Transportation. 31 December 2015
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