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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