Over
the past three decades, Alang has become a major worldwide centre for ship
breaking, a process where ships are beached at high tide for demolition.
Having
recently made a long term commitment to create more responsible recycling
options in Alang, India, Maersk Group has reached an agreement for the landing
of the first two vessels.
Having
recently made a long term commitment to create more responsible recycling
options in Alang, India, Danish international shipping giant, Maersk Group, has
reached an agreement for the landing of
the first two vessels.
The
company said that its Maersk Wyoming and the Maersk Georgia, Maersk Line
container vessels are expected in Alang late May and will be recycled at the
Shree Ram yard in Alang, which is certified to the standards of the Hong Kong
Convention.
Maersk
explained that the market for ship recycling is dominated by practices unchanged
for decades. Out of a total of 768 ships recycled globally in 2015, 469 –
representing 74% of the total gross tonnage scrapped - were sold to facilities
on beaches in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh with challenges to workers and the
environment.
However,
the Maersk Group said that it has policy to only recycle ships responsibly. It
added that until recently, this was only feasible in a limited number of yards
in China and Turkey.
“By
initiating recycling of vessels in Alang at responsible yards, we ensure
further development of financially feasible and responsible recycling options
to the benefit of Alang and the shipping industry,” commented says Annette
Stube, head of sustainability for the Maersk Group.
“This
development will take time, but we are determined to work with the yards for
the long haul,” she added.
According
to Maersk, steady improvements of conditions have been witnessed in ship
recycling yards in Alang over the last couple of years. Following several
audits at upgraded facilities in Alang in 2015, the Maersk Group concluded that
responsible recycling can be accelerated in the area, if the engagement is made
now.
“The
Alang plans come at a cost for us,” said Stube. “But we will invest money and
human resources to ensure we can already now scrap our vessels in compliance
with the Hong Kong Convention provisions (HSE) as well as international
standards on labor conditions and anti-corruption. We will also have staff
on-site at Shree Ram.
“They
will be working closely with the yard to further upgrade practices, processes
and facilities to ensure that the recycling of our vessels complies with our
standards,” she continued.
To
accelerate the upgrade of more yards in Alang, the Maersk Group said that it is
working on building a broader collaboration with other ship owners to increase
demand for responsible ship recycling and to find sustainable solutions.
A first step was said to be a dialogue with
Japanese ship owners in collaboration with the Japanese ship owners association
(JSA) in the coming months.
Source: waste-management-world.
17 May 2016
No comments:
Post a Comment