22 November 2017

Supporters worry Battleship Texas could be scrapped for parts


PASADENA, Texas - Battleship Texas scrapped for parts? There is concern for the future of the 103-year-old ship.

Supporters are hoping a trendy idea can help preserve this piece of history.

“It’s the only surviving U.S. ship that served in both World War I and World War II,” said Bruce Bramlett. “The ship was at D-Day, it was at the North Africa shore, it was at Okinawa and Iwo Jima,”

Bramlett is the Executive Director for the Battleship Texas Foundation.

“No. It is not some reproduction. It is the real deal.” he said.

“Basically a decision will have to be made either to scrap the ship, which means to dismantle it and do away with it, or it has to come out of the water,” said Bramlett.

Over the years, the foundation has asked for donations through fundraisers and mailers. This year, in what could be considered a last ditch effort, the foundation is creating a music video.

The video is currently being shot onboard Battleship Texas and will be released as part of a national ad campaign in December.

The foundation hopes, with enough support and calls to state lawmakers, the State of Texas will spend money to move the ship to dry land rather than scrapping it for parts.

On a Texas Parks and Wildlife website, the state outlines repairs to the ship that are happening right now.

They should wrap up in late 2018, according to Texas Parks and Wildfire. The future, according to park rangers is to preserve the ship by removing it from the water and placing it on a base through a process called dry berth.

Source: 17 November 2017

15 November 2017

Indonesia, UK Cooperate to Sponsor Young Researchers

Jakarta. Indonesia must increase investment in research and innovation to increase its future competitiveness and tap into its economic potential, British Ambassador Moazzam Malik said during an event in Jakarta last week.

"Indonesia will need to increase investments in research and innovation, while also fostering partnerships between local and international research institutions to increase the quality and capability of Indonesian research," Malik said.

He added that this is crucial for Indonesia to compete in the future, especially because funds dedicated for research and innovation in the country are still relatively scarce.

In Indonesia, the United Kingdom has invested £18 million ($23.6 million) through the Newton Fund program to support researchers until at least 2021.

The Newton Fund promotes economic development and social welfare in developing countries, primarily focusing on strengthening local science and innovation capacity and supporting it by providing access to UK expertise and research facilities.

The investment was matched by £6 million (US$7.8 million) by the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education, the Indonesian Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP) and the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI).

"This program is not an aid program, but a cooperation […] I believe in working together and succeeding together, and this is one such example. The British government is committed to invest and support Indonesia’s development," Malik said.

The Jakarta Globe spoke to participants of the program, some of whom will be doing research on bio-fuels at one of the world’s most advanced scientific facilities, the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxford, England.

"This is a privilege for us because Rutherford Appleton are equipped with big facilities that we don’t currently have in Indonesia. We are hoping that through our research, cooperation and collaboration, our ongoing research will improve in quality and be more optimized so that we can further develop them in Indonesia," said Indri Badria Adilina, a LIPI researcher at the institute's research center for chemistry.

Indri and her team will begin her research at Oxford next year, and the program is expected to continue for at least four years.

As for Siti Fariya, a junior lecturer at the Technological Institute Adhi Tama Surabaya (ITATS), the Newton Fund is funding her pursuit to obtain a doctorate degree at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland, where she plans to conduct research on ship recycling.

The shipping industry has long played an important role in bolstering the national economy of Indonesia, an archipelago nation.

However, Siti discovered through her research that most ships in Indonesia operate far beyond their age restrictions set by regulators such as the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

"Ships older than 25 years are generally required to go through recycling. However, Indonesia doesn’t have the appropriate facilities to conduct this yet," Siti said.

At Strathclyde, Siti will conduct research on developing a concept ship recycling yard in Indonesia.

Source: Jakarta globe. 14 November 2017

ICS And CMI Update Campaign On Maritime Treaty Ratification

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) Рwhose member national shipowner associations represent over 80% of the world merchant fleet, and the Comit̩ Maritime International (CMI) Рthe international association for maritime lawyers, have released an updated brochure to promote the importance of governments ratifying international maritime conventions, especially those adopted by the UN IMO.

The aim of the brochure ‘Promoting Maritime Treaty Ratification’ is to encourage more widespread ratification of some key maritime instruments that would benefit from a greater level of global acceptance. This includes a number of important instruments which have not yet received adequate ratifications from governments to enter into force globally.


The new campaign particularly focuses on three key IMO instruments: the Hong Kong Convention on ship recycling; the 2003 Protocol to the 1992 Civil Liability and Fund Conventions concerning oil spill compensation; and the 2010 Protocol to the HNS (liability) Convention.

“While the slow pace of ratification of these crucial IMO instruments remains disappointing, there is now some cause for optimism.” explained ICS Chairman, Esben Poulsson.

“In particular, the Hong Kong Convention on ship recycling has been ratified by the world’s largest flag State, Panama, having previously been ratified by Belgium, Denmark, France and Norway. Turkey, a major ship recycling nation, is also expected to ratify soon. But other IMO Member States now need to build on this momentum or else be faced with the confusion likely to be caused by unilateral or regional regulation.”

CMI Secretary General, Rosalie Balkin, added “We are pleased to again be co-operating with ICS on this important campaign, which we hope will enhance the profile of some important IMO instruments that are sometimes overlooked.”
The new brochure, which can downloaded from the ICS and CMI websites, also highlights a number of other conventions that require wider ratification, including the IMO Ballast Water Management Convention, which entered into force in September, and the ILO (Revised) Seafarers’ Identity Documents Convention.
The brochure also promotes several other instruments that address international liabilities and compulsory insurance cover for ships.

ICS and the CMI continue to emphasise that shipping is an inherently global industry reliant on global regulatory frameworks to operate efficiently. The alternative would be a plethora of regional or unilateral regulations, which would lead to chaos within the international shipping industry while hindering the smooth flow of global trade.

Source: hellenic shipping news. 14 November 2017

Chittagong Ship breaking worker falls to death

A ship breaking worker died after falling off a ship at Sitakunda in Chittagong yesterday morning.

Mohammad Mizan, 28, of Barisal sadar, died on the spot after he fell off of a ship during working at ship breaking yard of Fahim Enterprise in Kumira, said duty officer at Chittagong Medical College Hospital police outpost. The body was kept in the CMCH morgue.

Source: the daily star. 15 November 2017

Avoiding the Watery Grave: How to Recycle Fiberglass Boats


Boating is a major industry in the U.S., with millions of boat owners — and millions more who rent, borrow or charter boats throughout the year.

In fact, there are an estimated 12.1 million registered boats in the U.S., as of 2015, with 95 percent of those being small watercraft under 26 feet in length.

The average boat has a lifespan of 30 to 40 years. So what happens to the boats that are ready for retirement?

Can Boats Be Recycled?
While fiberglass boats first appeared in the 1940s, they didn’t really take off until the 1960s. These new, easily manufactured boats made it easier for a middle-class person to afford a boat of their own. This led to a boom in boat sales in the 1960s and 1970s.

Unfortunately, many of these boats are now reaching the end of their lives and are ready for disposal. It is believed that there are 35 to 40 million boats around the world nearing their end of life. Sadly, many of these boats are not being disposed of in a sustainable manner.

Boats, like cars, are made of a variety of materials. Unlike boats, however, cars have been designed with considerable thought on end-of-life disposal. Nearly every part of a car can now be taken apart and recycled. Boats, on the other hand, weren’t designed with disposal in mind.

Most boats from the past 50 years were made using fiberglass. While this material is incredibly durable, it’s also quite difficult to recycle. In fact, until recently, recycling fiberglass wasn’t even possible.

Due to scientific advancements in fiberglass recycling, boat recycling is finally becoming a possibility. Yes, boats can be recycled, but it is no simple task.

How Do You Recycle a Boat?
If you have a boat today that you’d like to recycle, here’s what you should do. First, is the boat still seaworthy? If so, you can, of course, sell it. You can also attempt to donate it. Yacht World has an excellent guide to donating your old boat to charity. If your boat isn’t seaworthy anymore, disposal is the best option.

Disposal options vary from location to location, so talk with your local marina to find out what options are available near you. Some areas have a boat salvage yard that will take your old ship and dismantle it, and sell off any parts in working condition. They will also take care of removing hazardous fluids and disposing of the fiberglass body.

In many cases, though, the only available option is to send a boat to a landfill. When a boat is sent to a landfill, it must first have hazardous fluids, like oil, removed. If you are unable to do this yourself, reach out to a local boat shop to see if they provide this service.

Next, you should check to see if you can sell any of the components. While the vessel may no longer be seaworthy, the engine may still be of value, as well as other electronics and components of the ship. You can sell these online or check to see if local boat shops will purchase them. Most landfills will also charge a fee based on the weight of the ship, so be sure to call ahead to make sure they accept boats, and to find out what you need to do to the ship beforehand. Once the boat has been transported to the landfill, it will generally be ripped up and buried along with the rest of the garbage. Landfilling a boat is perhaps the worst option, next to abandoning or sinking it. Abandoning your boat, or intentionally sinking it, can lead to huge fines.

Some areas of the U.S. have boat recycling and disposal programs. California has one of the best programs in the country. The Vessel Turn-In Program allows boat owners to turn in their boat to a local agency. They will then dispose of your boat properly. While these programs are costly, they can reduce the number of abandoned boats in marinas.

Unfortunately, for most boat owners in the U.S., landfills and salvage yards are the only real options for disposing of their old vessel. That should begin to change in the coming years.

The Future of Boat Recycling
The cross-linking of polyester and fiberglass is what makes boat hulls so strong. However, this also makes it extremely difficult to separate the components for recycling. While it could be shredded and used as filler, this solution isn’t ideal. In a collaboration, Norwegian recycling company Veolia, SINTEF Materials and Chemistry, and several other companies joined together to see if they could figure out a way to recycle old ship hulls. After a significant amount of research, SINTEF has created a way to separate the polyester and fiberglass at impressive rates.

While the exact process isn’t shared, it goes something like this: the fiberglass/polyester hull is soaked in a material at a high temperature. The chemical mixture dissolves the bond, making it possible to then recycle. The process isn’t perfect yet, but this is a huge step toward recycling old boats rather than sending them to a landfill.

Some boating manufacturers have taken a hint from the auto industry and begun to design their boats with recycling in mind. While small steps like this don’t solve the current issue, they are improvements worth applauding. As the boating industry continues to search out more sustainable solutions, we should begin to see new options appear across the U.S.

Source: earth911. 14 November 2017

14 November 2017

One year later and no lessons learned at Gadani as ACES is set aflame - again!

Brussels, 9 November 2017 - Shipbreaking plot no. 54 in Gadani, Pakistan, was sealed off yesterday after a massive fire broke out on-board the ship ACES (IMO 8021830). This is the same floating oil production tanker that blew up on 1 November last year – an explosion that caused the death of 31 workers and seriously injured at least another 58 workers. Fortunately, reports seem to indicate that no workers got caught in the flames of yesterday’s fire on the ACES.


After having been left untouched and unbroken in the same yard since last year’s catastrophic explosion, the Pakistan Department of Environment gave permission last week for the continued breaking of the ACES. Shockingly, on the very first day that the breaking commenced, a massive fire broke out again as the oil residues inside the tanker had not been removed. While there have been no reported fatalities or injuries as a result of the fire, yesterday’s event goes far in demonstrating the Pakistani Government’s negligent attitude towards workers’ rights and safety, as well as enforcing proper environmental standards.

“Clearly, no lessons have been learnt from the series of tragedies that have hit Gadani in the last year”, says Dr Muhammad Irfan Khan, member of the NGO Shipbeaking Platform’s Board. “More investments are sorely needed to ensure institutional capacity build-up. For the industry to be allowed to continue operating in Pakistan, authorities need to guarantee the protection of shipbreaking workers and the enforcement of existing environmental regulations”, he adds.

Following the major blast on 1 November 2016, dubbed the worst tragedy in shipbreaking history and caused by several gas cylinder explosions, workers have over and over rallied in Gadani to protest against the deplorable working conditions and the lack of Government support in enforcing safety and occupational health laws. Evidently, by authorising the breaking of the ACES to commence again, without having even ensured that the tanks were cleaned, Pakistani authorities blatantly ignore workers’ calls as yards are allowed to return to business as usual and perpetuate the industry’s violent legacy.

The appalling working conditions at Gadani are well-known, yet European ships are still being sold to Pakistan for breaking. In the third quarter of 2017 alone, seven ships - five German, one Greek, and one Norwegian - were sold to the Gadani beach for breaking.

“It is shameful that European ship-owners benefit from a situation where worker’s lives are continuously put at risk. Unless the yards are moved to industrial platforms away from the tidal beach where the safety of workers and the containment of pollutants can be ensured, we do not recommend the breaking of ships in Pakistan”, says Ingvild Jenssen, Director of the NGO Shipbreaking Platform. “How many more accidents and deaths at the Gadani beach is the global shipping industry ready to accept?”, she adds.

Following yesterday’s fire, the Deputy Commissioner of Hub District – Mr. Mangal – set up an inquiry committee to look into to the EPA approval to resume breaking of the ACES and sealed the shipbreaking yard where it is beached. The Platform urges the Government to ensure that end-of-life ships are dismantled in safe and clean ship recycling facilities off the beach. Only then will safe working conditions and the protection of the coastal environment from pollution be safeguarded.

CONTACT
Ingvild JENSSEN
NGO Shipbreaking Platform
Executive Director and Founder
Tel.: +32 (0)2 6094 419


Source: NGO Shipbreaking Platform. 09 November 2017

To adopt marine environment law

Over the years, as the countries are becoming more industrialised, they are facing huge amount of waste with a corresponding increase of hazardous waste. At the same time, environmental awareness has grown and legislation has been developed to control the handling of wastes in general and hazardous waste in particular.


In August 14, 2016, Shitakunda based ship breaking industry MS Janata Steel Corp. imported a ship (North Sea Producer/MT Producer) for wrecking. According to a Brussels-based international environmental agency (NGO Ship-breaking Platform), the ship is likely to be carrying a plenty of toxic wastes and it also contains dangerous quantities of radioactive materials. As per Bangladesh's Atomic Energy Center, Test resulted from some areas of the ship showed radiation in excess of allowable limits. The vessel is also likely to contain large amounts of residues that are contaminated by naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) and sulphur in addition to various other hazardous materials in its structure and tanks. Moreover, under the European Waste Shipment Regulation, the tanker's export from the UK for demolition in Bangladesh was illegal, thus NGO Ship breaking Platform calls on the UK Government to hold the Maersk owned North Sea Production Company responsible for illegal trafficking in hazardous waste.

The Basel Convention 1989 focuses on the regulation of transboundary movement of hazardous wastes to protect marine environment. In addition, it protected developing countries from importing such wastes that they are unable to manage in an environmentally sound manner. As rightly claimed by DANWATCH, Bangladesh shipyards are not well equipped with any infrastructure that could safely remove and dispose of such toxic wastes. MT Producer allowed into Bangladesh based on fake certificates stating that the tanker did not contain any hazardous materials. Moreover, as per Section 20 of Environment Conservation Act 1995 and Rule 18 of the Ship Breaking & Hazardous Management Rules 2011, each importer and exporter of hazardous wastes is bound to comply with the provisions of the Basel Convention 1989. Even though, Basel does not contain a system for ship recycling but this provision has been discussed in Hong Kong Convention 2009. Bangladesh is not a party to this convention but still it is the third largest ship recycling country. In 2011, Bangladesh adopted the Ship Breaking & Recycling Rules 2011, which discussed about ship recycling. Furthermore, Article 192 of UNCLOS 1982 confers a general obligation upon the member States to protect and preserve the marine environment. In addition, Article 194 of UNCLOS 1982 states about the measures to prevent, reduce and to control marine pollution. Thus, being a signatory, importing MT Producer is a complete violation of the Environment Conservation Act 1995, Basel Convention 1989 as well as UNCLOS 1982 to bring a toxic vessel for wrecking. Moreover, Article 195 of UNCLOS 1982 states that the States shall not transfer directly/indirectly any damage or hazards from one area to another to prevent, reduce and control the marine pollution. Thus, the act done by the Maersk owned North Sea Production Company is unlawful.

The violation is not only limited to the Environmental aspect. According to ILO requirements, the employer should have overarching responsibility for occupational health and safety. The Ship Breaking & Recycling Rules 2011 also contains provision for the worker's safety equipments by the Ship breaking yards. In the previously mentioned context, it is another violation of the Labor Law by threatening the life of the employees. Finally, it is submitted that Bangladesh should adopt a conclusive & comprehensive legal framework for the marine environment to prevent, reduce and control of marine pollution and safety of navigation as the country is entering into the era of blue economy.

Source: the daily star. 14 November 2017

12 November 2017

Shipbreaker Donates Carrier Artifacts to Veterans' Group

ranger

Last month, International Shipbreaking of Brownsville, Texas gave a group of Navy veterans a collection of historic equipment from the decommissioned carrier USS Ranger. 24 years ago, six sailors died in a fire in USS Ranger’s Main Machinery Room 4 (MMR4), and the USS Ranger Association will use donated parts from this compartment to set up a museum exhibit in their honor.

On November 1, 1983, a fire broke out in MMR4 during a fuel transfer operation as the Ranger was under way in the Arabian Sea. Fuel spilled from an open valve and burst into flames, and six men died and 35 were injured in the blaze that followed. Two enlisted personnel were charged in connection with the accident, and the Ranger's commanding officer, former commanding officer, former executive officer and former chief engineer were all reprimanded.

The 1957-built vessel was decommissioned in 1993 after a long and storied career. She participated in numerous military actions, from sustained combat operations in the Vietnam War to high-tempo sorties during Operation Desert Storm and Operation Southern Watch. After she was retired from service, she was laid up in Bremerton until 2015, when International Shipbreaking arranged to tow her down the Pacific coast, through the Straits of Magellan and up through the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico to Brownsville, Texas.

The USS Ranger Association contacted International Shipbreaking in January 2016 and asked that the gauges, windows and controls from Main Machinery Room 4 be preserved for a museum exhibit. The yard agreed to donate these items in honor of the six sailors who gave their lives for their country. 

International has also recycled the carriers USS Iwo Jima, USS Constellation and USS Independence, which arrived at her final port of call in May. As a service to veterans who served aboard Independence, the firm put a selection of items from the ship up for sale, from signs to gauges to pieces of her armor plate.

USS Ranger (CV-61) General Characteristics
Keel Laid: August 2, 1954
Launched: September 29, 1956
Commissioned: August 10, 1957
Decommissioned: July 10, 1993
Builder: Newport News Shipbuilding Co., Newport News, Va.
Propulsion system: Eight boilers
Rudders: Two
Propellers: Four
Blades on each Propeller: Five
Aircraft elevators: Four
Catapults: Four
Arresting gear cables: Four
Length, overall: 1,063 feet (324 meters)
Flight Deck Width: 250.3 feet (76.3 meters)
Beam: 129 feet (39.3 meters)
Draft: 37.7 feet (11.3 meters)
Displacement: approx. 78,200 tons full load
Speed: 30+ knots
Planes: approx. 85
Crew: Ship: approx. 2,700  Air Wing: 2,480
Armament: Three Mk 29 NATO Sea Sparrow launchers, three 20mm Phalanx CIWS Mk 15

Source: maritime-executive. 10 November 2017

Laguna Vista monument honors aircraft carriers and crews

An aircraft carrier monument in Laguna Vista’s Veterans Park seemed like a good way to honor the countless service members who spent part of their lives on the USS Constellation, USS Independence and USS Ranger, as well as the ships themselves.

So says Chris Green, president of International Shipbreaking and regional manager for its parent company, EMR Group. The ship recycling company is dismantling the Independence, which arrived in June at the Port of Brownsville, and has completed work on the Constellation and the Ranger.

For the monument, unveiled on Veterans Day, the ship breaker donated bollards — short vertical posts mounted on deck and used to secure the ship to the dock — from each of the carriers. Green said the company had wanted to create some type of monument since it received its first retired “supercarrier,” the Constellation, in January 2015.

International Shipbreaking was first approached by Laguna Vista Mayor Susie Houston about putting something in VeteransPark, though Robert Rice, retiring chaplain for the local veterans group Warriors United in Arms, came up with the idea for the monument and pushed the project through to fruition, Green said.

“He was just really instrumental in keeping it going,” Green said. “The mayor of Laguna Vista was very supportive, and the town council has been very supportive the whole time.”

Source: Brownsville Herald. 11 November 2017

Pakistani Shipbreaking Plot Sealed Off

Photo: NGO Shipbreaking Platform

Shipbreaking plot no. 54 in Gadani, Pakistan, was sealed off after a massive fire broke out on-board the ship ACES (IMO 8021830), said NGO Shipbreaking Platform.

This is the same floating oil production tanker that blew up on 1 November last year – an explosion that caused the death of 31 workers and seriously injured at least another 58 workers.

Fortunately, reports seem to indicate that no workers got caught in the flames of yesterday’s fire on the ACES.

After having been left untouched and unbroken in the same yard since last year’s catastrophic explosion, the Pakistan Department of Environment gave permission last week for the continued breaking of the ACES.

Shockingly, on the very first day that the breaking commenced, a massive fire broke out again as the oil residues inside the tanker had not been removed. While there have been no reported fatalities or injuries as a result of the fire, yesterday’s event goes far in demonstrating the Pakistani Government’s negligent attitude towards workers’ rights and safety, as well as enforcing proper environmental standards.

“Clearly, no lessons have been learnt from the series of tragedies that have hit Gadani in the last year”, says Dr Muhammad Irfan Khan, member of the NGO Shipbeaking Platform’s Board. “More investments are sorely needed to ensure institutional capacity build-up. For the industry to be allowed to continue operating in Pakistan, authorities need to guarantee the protection of shipbreaking workers and the enforcement of existing environmental regulations”, he adds.

Following the major blast on 1 November 2016, dubbed the worst tragedy in shipbreaking history and caused by several gas cylinder explosions, workers have over and over rallied in Gadani to protest against the deplorable working conditions and the lack of Government support in enforcing safety and occupational health laws.

Evidently, by authorising the breaking of the ACES to commence again, without having even ensured that the tanks were cleaned, Pakistani authorities blatantly ignore workers’ calls as yards are allowed to return to business as usual and perpetuate the industry’s violent legacy.

The appalling working conditions at Gadani are well-known, yet European ships are still being sold to Pakistan for breaking. In the third quarter of 2017 alone, seven ships – five German, one Greek, and one Norwegian – were sold to the Gadani beach for breaking.

“It is shameful that European ship-owners benefit from a situation where worker’s lives are continuously put at risk. Unless the yards are moved to industrial platforms away from the tidal beach where the safety of workers and the containment of pollutants can be ensured, we do not recommend the breaking of ships in Pakistan”, says Ingvild Jenssen, Director of the NGO Shipbreaking Platform. “How many more accidents and deaths at the Gadani beach is the global shipping industry ready to accept?”, she adds.

Following yesterday’s fire, the Deputy Commissioner of Hub District – Mr. Mangal – set up an inquiry committee to look into to the EPA approval to resume breaking of the ACES and sealed the shipbreaking yard where it is beached.

The Platform urges the Government to ensure that end-of-life ships are dismantled in safe and clean ship recycling facilities off the beach. Only then will safe working conditions and the protection of the coastal environment from pollution be safeguarded.

Source: marine link. 09 November 2017

Ship catches fire at Gadani, Pakistan

A ship caught fire when it was being broken for scrap at plot No 54 of the Gadani Shipbreaking Yard here on Wednesday.

However, no casualty was reported.

The fire erupted in pipeline of the lower part of ship during shaft cutting which was anchored at plot No 54 for scraping.

The in-charge RHC Gadani Dr Younis said that it was a light fire that erupted in a pipeline and was extinguished right away.

Lasbela Deputy Commissioner Iftikhar Ahmed Bugti and DPO Abdul Rauf Bareach immediately reached the Gadani Shipyard and monitored the efforts to put out fire .

It is significant to mention here that a bloody inferno had erupted last year in the same plot in which 29 labourers were burnt to death and over 50 workers had suffered burnt injuries.

The deputy commissioner sought report of the incident from all concerned to stop happening of such incidents. The shipbreaking activities were halted at the relevant ship .

ALL PROJECTS IN BALOCHISTAN CONTINUING, SAYS WB

World Bank country Operational Manager Ms Milanda Good on Wednesday said that it was good omen that all projects initiated by the World Bank in Balochistan were continuing.

Milanda assured that policy and sector plan will be top most priority of the World Bank.

Ms. Milanda Good expressed these views in her keynote speech in a meeting with Additional Chief Secretary Planning Qamar Mehsood and heads of all projects working under World Bank in Quetta.

Coordinator Governance and Policy Project Mahfooz Ali Khan and other high officials were also present at the meeting.

Qamar Mehsood, the Additional Chief Secretary Planning, briefing the participants said that the Balochistan govt was working at essential stage for human development and enhancing their abilities and expressed gratitude for the World Bank and all those institutes working under it for assisting the government.

Source: the nation. 09 November 2017

08 November 2017

6th Ship Recycling Congress 24th -25th January, London 2018



ACI Europe with leading speakers from IMO, Maersk, German Ship-owners Association and Danish Shipping amongst the others organizes 6th Ship Recycling Congress on 24th & 25thJanuary 2018 in London, UK.

Attendees from: Haskoning, Wirana, Hapag-Lloyd, Port Bordeaux, United Maritime Law Chambers, Veolia, Bureau Veritas, Swedish Transport Agency, AGAS(U.S), LaBounty, Danish Environmental Agency, Port of FredriksHavn and many others.

Key Topics Include:

Developments on Hong Kong Convention
Overcoming Ship Owner Struggles
Legal & Regulatory Side of Ship Recycling
Safe Steps to Sustainable Ship Recycling to Enhance Safe & Environmentally Friendly Methods & Practices
Advancements in Ensuring Ship Recycling Standards
Crucial Role of Cash Buyers/Brokers
Updates on European Recycling and many more

Active Communications Europe Ltd (ACI) - part of The Whitmore GroupInline image OWAPstImg105726
T. +48 61 898 7070       direct +48 616 46 7045
F. +44 (0) 20 7 593 0071
10 Gough Square, London, EC4A 3DE, London, SE1 0NS


Can a new financial mechanism put an end to dangerous shipbreaking?

Shipbreaking is a lucrative industry and one that is almost solely carried out in countries like Bangladesh and India, where cheap labour is used to strip ships right on the beach. Although the negative impacts of such practices are well known, current legislation is either too weak to regulate these practices, or not yet enforceable. A new method to put an end to this is on the cards – but will it work?

In August, the European Commission released its latest report on the viability of a financial incentive for sustainable ship recycling, an instrument that if implemented, could shift the balance in favour of cleaner, safer practices approved under European Union (EU) regulation, rather than the vastly more popular option of breaking ships on South Asian beaches, at great risk to workers and the environment.

Although the dangers of “beaching” have been extensively documented, this practice continues unabated and international regulations are yet to clamp down on it.

The Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships (HKC) isn’t expected to enter into force until 2020 at the earliest. In Europe, the European Ship Recycling Regulation (SRR) entered into force at the end of 2013, but it will start applying in gradual stages only from the date of publication of the European list of ship recycling facilities, which hasn’t yet been completed.

As a result, unsafe and dangerous ship recycling methods dominate the market today, driven purely by profit: it is far cheaper to discard of vessels in this way, rather than opt for EU-vetted facilities. A new proposal to tackle this problem hopes to give Europe a chance to compete with South Asian shipbreaking yards, and reclaim control of the industry.

Circumventing the law

Many vessels contain hazardous materials like asbestos, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and heavy metals.

Major ship recycling nations such as India, Bangladesh and Pakistan do not have the appropriate facilities to safely dismantle these ships, and the work takes place on tidal beaches, leading to leaks of pollutants into the waters, as well as fires, explosions and countless human rights violations. Last year, at least 52 workers lost their lives on shipbreaking beaches in South Asia, according to NGO Shipbreaking Platform’s 2016 report.

Despite these widely known facts, India, China, Bangladesh and Pakistan jointly recycle almost 80% of the world’s vessels.

The EU is the single largest market sending end-of-life ships for dirty and dangerous shipbreaking. Germany and Greece were the worst offenders last year: 98% of all obsolete German ships ended up on a beach, and close to 40% were broken in Bangladesh, where conditions are known to be the worst in the world. Greece was responsible for the highest absolute number of ships sold to South Asian shipbreaking yards in 2016, with 104 vessels in total.

This isn’t the only option. Green, safe recycling alternatives do exist – the only issue is cost.

Although reliable public data is scarce, analysis by DNV GL found that the cost of sending an end-of-life vessel to be scrapped in a sustainable facility is approximately 34% higher – or an extra €17 per lightweight tonnage – compared to selling it to cash buyers in Asian countries.

Even owners of EU-flagged ships, which under the SRR have a duty to properly discard of their vessels, circumvent this by re-flagging their ships shortly before scrapping to a flag of convenience, such as Palau, Comoros, and St Kitts and Nevis. These flags are often blacklisted under the Paris Memorandum of Understanding, which aims to eliminate the operation of sub-standard ships, as well as other international treaties. The percentage of EU flags drops to less than 8% at end-of-life, the NGO Shipbreaking Platform found.

“The loophole is linked to the freedom within the shipping industry to choose any flag for the vessel that the owner deems necessary,” says Ingvild Jenssen, founder and director of the NGO Shipbreaking Platform.

“We have strongly argued that it’s very likely that shipowners or the vessels that will be sold for scrap will be sailing under a non-EU flag. [Vessels] are sold via the use of cash buyers, who are basically scrap dealers in end-of-life vessels. They buy the ships from the shipowners with cash, and then they sell them on to the breakers in South Asia.”

Can a new financial mechanism take back control?

The new proposal focuses on setting up a new financial instrument, which would act as an incentive to shipowners.

Essentially, they would purchase a Ship Recycling Licence (SRL) and upon each entry to an EU port, a fee would be levied on each ship. The value of the fee would be equivalent to the monetary difference between sound and unsound ship recycling practices.

The money collected would then be channelled into a dedicated EU recycling fund, which would pay back that fee to shipowners when they opt to recycle their vessels according to regulation.

According to a 2016 study by DNV GL, EcoSys and Erasmus University Rotterdam, this mechanism would collect funds of about €150m per year over the first 15 years, contributing to the building up of a fund of €2.8bn. Its impacts on the ship recycling market would start to be observed after approximately 20 years from introduction, the research found.

Transport NGOs, trade unions and the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) have released statements fully supporting this proposal.

“We argue that without a financial incentive, or an incentive that is not based on flag state jurisdiction, the EU ship recycling regulation will effectively be toothless,” Jenssen says. “If you look at any other waste management issue, such as appliances and electronics, there’s always a financial incentive, or a return scheme linked to the proper management of this waste. And ships shouldn’t be different in that sense.”

The European Economic and Social Committee called it a “progressive, enforceable financial mechanism” and called on the European Commission to establish the method.

A bitter pill for shipowners

Meanwhile, the European Community of Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA), the Asian Shipowners’ Association (ASA) and the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) argued that this “primary fiscal measure” is incompatible with the UN Law of the Sea Convention (UNCLOS), as well as with World Trade Organisation rules.

“We see great challenges and many loose ends to the practical transposition of the licensing idea,” said Danish Shipping director of EU affairs Casper Andersen, who came out against the financial instrument. “We can only envisage that third-country shipowners, with support from their flag-state, will reject paying into the licence scheme, which will be tremendously distortive to the competitiveness of Danish shipowners, who make a third of all their calls to European ports.”

In its latest review of the proposal, published in August this year, the European Commission “acknowledges the merits of a potential Ship Recycling Licence, which represents the most promising option investigated thus far.” However, the Commission is keen to wait and see whether the full European list of ship recycling facilities will influence behaviour once it fully comes into effect. It is currently delayed by ongoing site inspections at non-EU facilities that have applied.

At present, there is no clear indication from the Commission on how long until the European is published in full, or for how long its effects on the ship-breaking market would be analysed before the financial instrument comes back into the spotlight as an alternative.

But pressure to redress the balance in favour of sustainable ship recycling is mounting, as reports of irreversible environmental damage, slave labour and workers’ deaths continue to pour in from concerned watchdogs around the world.

Source: ship-technology. 7 November 2017

07 November 2017

Pakistan Shipbreaking: No lesson learnt as first anniversary of Gadani ship fire approaches


No lesson has been learnt from the 2016 oil tanker tragedy in Gadani as the labourers are forced to work in the same conditions as of the fateful day, said labour leaders here on Wednesday.

They said that on November 1 last year, 29 workers were killed and several others were wounded after a decommissioned oil tanker, Aces, caught fire during its dismantling. The fire rapidly engulfed the whole ship and intensified apparently due to the presence of flammable gases and liquids on it.  It took at least three days for firefighters to put out the blaze.

The National Trade Union Federation (NTUF) and its affiliate Ship Breaking Workers Union (SBWU) took out a rally in Gadani on Wednesday to mark the first anniversary of the deadliest disaster in the ship breaking industry and protested against the unchanged state of affairs at the yards.

Addressing the participants of the rally, NTUF President Rafiq Baloch said that a ship breaking worker lived in a state of modern slavery as their employers and government authorities did nothing to improve their conditions – despite making tall claims when the tragedy hit.

Not declaring a holiday in remembrance of the fallen workers was a show of their imperialist mindset, he said and added that not only the workers are still deprived of health and safety facilities, their lives are also in grave danger.

He said that since the Aces’ fire, nine more people have been killed in similar incidents in Gadani and very recently a worker was wounded as a gas cylinder went off at a yard. “The responsibility for these deaths lies on the shoulders of the employers, management and contractor, as well as on the authorities like labor department, police, customs,  environment protection agency, district administration, land authorities and government because they have been criminally tightlipped, blind and deaf on the prevalent wrongdoings in Gadani,” he added.

A large number of workers were present at the rally.

Speaking to them, SBWU President Bashir Mehmoodani said that the workers were being pushed into the valley of death by their employers just for the sake of financial gains. He added that the workers were still deprived of appointment letters, registrations with social security and pension funds, besides not having any safety measures implemented at their workplaces.

He said that the oil tanker fire victims were not paid any compensation by the federal and Balochistan governments, nor was the announced sum of Rs500,000 by the Workers Welfare Board was given to them. He added that the government and employers didn’t fulfil their promises and did not act according to the agreement reached through a tripartite mechanism.

He further stated that a local resident had donated a piece of land earlier this year for the establishment of a hospital on it, however, no progress could be made on it.

The rally demanded that a legislation should be done on the ship breaking industry by taking the real representative union of workers onboard, international conventions be ratified,  health and safety measures be implemented and working and living conditions be improved. Besides that, the also demanded access to safe drinking water,  hygienic canteens,  clean toilets, improvement in workers’ transport system and ratification of Hong Kong Convention for safe recycling in Pakistan.

Source: Pakistan Today. 01 November 2017

Protest against lack of basic facilities, safety measures at Gadani shipbreaking yard in Pakistan

GADANI: The National Trade Union Federation (NTUF) and its affiliate Ship Breaking Workers Union took out a rally in Gadani on Wednesday to mark the first anniversary of the deadliest disaster in the shipbreaking industry and protest against the unchanged state of affairs at yards.


On November 1 of last year, 29 workers were killed and several others wounded after a decommissioned oil tanker, Aces, caught fire during its dismantling. The fire rapidly engulfed the whole ship and intensified apparently due to the presence of flammable gases and liquids on it. It took at least three days for fire fighters to put out the blaze.

Addressing the participants of the rally, NTUF President Rafiq Baloch said shipbreaking workers lived in a state of modern slavery as their employers and government authorities had done nothing to improve their conditions, despite the tall claims made when the tragedy hit.

Not declaring November 1 a holiday in remembrance of the fallen workers was a show of their imperialist mindset, he said. The workers were still deprived of health and safety facilities and their lives were in grave danger, he said.

Since the Aces’ fire, nine more had been killed in similar incidents in Gadani and recently a worker was wounded as a gas cylinder went off at a yard. The responsibility of these deaths lie on the shoulders of the employers -owner, management and contractor – as well as on the authorities like labour department, police, customs, environment protection agency, district administration, land authorities because they had been criminally tight-lipped, blind and deaf on the prevalent wrongdoings in Gadani, he said.

A large number of workers were present at the rally. The SBWU President Bashir Mehmoodani said the workers were being pushed into an alley of death by their employers just for the sake of financial gains. He said the workers were still deprived of appointment letters, registration with social security and pensions funds.

Mehmoodani said the oil tanker fire victims were not paid any compensation by the federal and Balochistan governments nor was the sum of Rs 500,000 announced by the Workers Welfare Board given to them. He said the government and employers didn’t fulfil their promises and did not act according to the agreement reached through a tripartite mechanism. He added that a local had donated a piece of land earlier this year for the establishment of a hospital on it; however, no progress had been made in that regard.

The rally presented following demands: A legislation should be promulgated on the shipbreaking industry by taking onboard the real representative union of workers; international conventions be ratified; health and safety measures be implemented; working and living conditions be improved; access to safe drinking water, hygienic canteens, and clean toilets ensured; workers’ transport system be improved; a 24/7 health facility be established; contract system be abolished; labour colonies be made; other basic utilities be provided; and The Hong Kong International Convention for the safe and environmentally sound recycling of ships rectified.

Source: daily times. 02 November 2017