Pioneering work by Sure Safety's IHS to protect Alang shipyard workers from asbestos exposure 500 ships decontaminated in 21 months

Industrial Hygiene Services (IHS), a group company of Sure Safety, has done pioneering work as one of the few firms in India to protect industrial workers against asbestos exposure through various safety measures

Ahmedabad, Gujarat, May 2, 2012 /India PRwire/ -- Industrial Hygiene Services (IHS), a group company of Sure Safety, has done pioneering work as one of the few firms in India to protect industrial workers against asbestos exposure through various safety measures. IHS anchors and manages asbestos containing materials (ACM) at Alang Ship Recycling Yard, the world's largest ship breaking yard. The Ship Recycling Industries Association (SRIA) has outsourced the responsibility for ACM removal, handling, scrapping and packing job to IHS before and during the dismantling of any ship at Alang. IHS has decontaminated over 500 ships in 21 months.

According to research done by the World Health Organisation (WHO) about 125 million people in the world are exposed to asbestos at the workplace and WHO estimates that more than 107,000 people die each year from asbestos-related lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis resulting from occupational exposure. Already facing heightened risks of cancer, asbestos exposed workers also run a greater danger of heart disease and stroke stated a British study report published this April.

Shedding light on this subject, Mr. Nishith Dand, Director, Sure Safety, said, "Hi-tech equipments like powered air purifying respirators, negative pressure mobile enclosure and on-board decontamination tents are set up at the decontamination site to extract asbestos from the ships at Alang. IHS trained experts have the proficiency in managing ACM. However, they are also continuously educated regarding health hazards of ACM and various safety aspects that need to be followed while working at these decontamination sites at Alang."

"Sure Safety with its innovation centre and dedicated R&D team has manufactured negative pressure mobile enclosures especially designed for asbestos extraction thus controlling the exposure of the suspended asbestos particles in the environment and protecting people at large. Due to its mobile nature, this unit can be taken at the asbestos site, hence completely eradicating the ACM's transport hazard," he added.

Apart from innovative solutions at Alang, Sure Safety along with Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals Limited (GACL) has also designed an emergency chlorine leakage control (ECLC) kit to plug chlorine leakage at different industries where chlorine is manufactured, handled or transported.

Notes to Editor:

About Industrial Hygiene Services [IHS]:

IHS with its professional team of certified industrial hygienists, engineers as well as health and safety professionals is a leading consulting firm known widely to provide cost-effective solutions to companies towards reduction in chemical, physical and biological exposures. IHS clients including companies from industries like pharmaceuticals, engineering units, petrochemical, petroleum, steel, ship breaking yards, ship building units, and many more.

With industrialisation taking place at a faster pace in India, industrial hygiene & occupational health have become one of the key parameters. Industrial hygiene risk assessment and exposure assessment provide a useful quantitative baseline data for companies to dwell on and also synchronize their medical records. Ergonomics assessment, asbestos abatement programmes and engineering control validations also ensures a more healthy and safe workplace for employees.

About Sure Safety:

Established in the year 1996, Sure Safety has carved for itself a 'niche' as an industrial safety solution provider to meet the ever growing demands of various industries, to make it a safe work place and protect its men and assets from various hazards. Company not only manufactures PPE (personal protective equipment) for head to toe protection, but also provides solutions to protect against the worst seen or unseen hazards prevalent in industries, be it, because of solids, liquids, gases or suspended particles in air.

Source: India PRwire. 2 May 2012

http://www.indiaprwire.com/pressrelease/health-care/20120502118838.htm

New rules about recycling of ships:

The European Commission proposed new rules to ensure that European ships are only recycled in facilities that are safe for workers and environmentally sound.

More than 1,000 large old commercial ships such as tankers and container vessels are recycled for their scrap metal every year, but many European ships end up in substandard facilities on the tidal beaches of South Asia. These facilities mostly lack the environmental protection and safety measures needed to manage the hazardous materials contained in end-of-life ships. These include asbestos, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), tributyl tin and oil sludge. This leads to high accident rates and health risks for workers and extensive environmental pollution.

The new rules, which will take the form of a Regulation, propose a system of survey, certification and authorisation for large commercial seagoing vessels that fly the flag of an EU Member State, covering their whole life cycle from construction to operation and recycling.

This system builds upon the Hong Kong Convention for the safe and environmentally sound recycling of ships, which was adopted in 2009. The EU Commissions’ proposal aims to implement the Convention quickly, without waiting for its ratification and entry into force, a process which will take several years. To speed up the formal entry into force of the Hong Kong Convention, the Commission also presented a draft decision requiring Member States to ratify the Convention.

Under the new system, European ships will have to draw up an inventory of the hazardous materials present on board, and apply for an inventory certificate. The amount of hazardous waste on board (including in cargo residues, fuel oil, etc.) must be reduced before the ship is delivered to a recycling facility.

Ship recycling facilities will have to meet a set of environmental and safety requirements in order to be included on a list of authorised facilities worldwide. European ships will be allowed to be recycled only in facilities on the list. Some of the requirements to be met by the ship recycling facilities are stricter than those foreseen by the Hong Kong Convention. This will ensure better traceability for European ships and will guarantee that the waste resulting from dismantling (and any hazardous materials it contains) is managed in an environmentally sound way.

To ensure compliance, the proposal requires ship owners to report to national authorities when they intend to send a ship for recycling. By comparing the list of ships for which they have issued an inventory certificate with the list of ships which have been recycled in authorized facilities, authorities will be able to spot illegal recycling more easily. The sanctions proposed in the Regulation will also be more specific and precise.

The Council and the European Parliament will now discuss the Commission’s proposal.

At present, the recycling of ships is governed by the Waste Shipment Regulation, which prohibits the export of hazardous waste to non-OECD countries. However, the existing legislation is not specifically designed for ships and is often circumvented. This stems from a lack of adequate recycling capacity in OECD countries – but it is also difficult to determine when a ship becomes waste and which country is exporting the ship. The new proposal aims to address the shortcomings of this legislation and to allow, under strict conditions, the recycling of EU-flagged ships in non-OECD countries.

In 2009, more than 90 % of European ships were dismantled in ship recycling facilities in non-OECD countries, some of which were substandard. The quantity of European end-of-life ships is significant, since 17 % of world tonnage is registered under an EU flag. This makes it a priority for the EU to improve ship dismantling practices worldwide.

Highly concerned about the negative health and environmental impacts of ship recycling, the Commission adopted an EU strategy for better ship dismantling on 19 November 2008. This strategy proposed a number of measures to improve ship recycling as soon as possible, without waiting for the entry into force of the Hong Kong Convention. Today's proposal builds on ideas contained in the strategy.

The Hong Kong Convention needs to be ratified by at least 15 major flag and recycling countries to enter into force. These countries should represent at least 40 % of the world fleet and a significant part (almost 50 %) of the recycling capacity available worldwide.

Source: DI-VE. by di-ve (editorial@di-ve.com). 23 March 2012

http://www.di-ve.com/Default.aspx?ID=72&Action=1&NewsId=90448

'Faliure' of shipping to deal with asbestos examined:

According to the front page lead in TradeWinds today, scores of ships built in the past 10 years containing substantial amounts of banned asbestos have triggered claims of lax enforcement of rules and the erroneous issuing of safety certificates.

In the article Henning Gramann, MD of GSR Services draws attention to the fact that 'asbestos free' declarations from shipyards are 'useless if they have not fully controlled the incoming materials' or the supply chain.

The report claims 'It is now acknowledged that a large-scale problem persists and the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) has now submitted a paper to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) focusing on a "unified interpretation" of the regulations, seeking to clarify especially where responsibility lies.'

Responding to the problem, an industry workshop has been set up in Singapore to offer clarity and help ship owners, builders and recyclers deal with asbestos safely and legally. Organised in the wings of the TradeWinds Ship Recycling Forum, the workshop will focus on how ship owners and operators should deal with the risks posed by asbestos on board. 

The workshop will offer practical assistance to ship owners in the areas of asbestos surveys on Chinese newbuildings, cleaning up the supply chain, potential consequences of noncompliant reporting, creating a chain of liability, selecting the most appropriate certifiers.

Attendees will learn about the reliability of inventories and upstream supply information (including repairs and regular maintenance), issues arising from Certification of people giving inventory services, costs, risks and relevance of inventories and hazards and how to avoid operational risks and liability in jurisdictions such as Australia and the Netherlands.

The workshop is taking place at the Four Seasons Hotel, Singapore on March 12th.  The event will be moderated by Henning Gramann, MD of GSR with presentations given by Gerhard Aulbert, Global Head of Practice Ship Recycling, Germanischer Lloyd, Dr Alexander Berg, Junichi Hirata, Project Manager of ClassNK and Robin Townsend, Lead Specialist at Lloyd's Register. The event is sponsored by Lucion Marine.

 

NHST Events global reach extends to the most traditional and the most dynamic shipping centres of the world, with events now running in Shanghai, Singapore, Copenhagen, Athens,Oslo, Istanbul and Bermuda.

Our mission is simply to deliver exceptional value for time for our speakers, delegates and sponsors through a combination of informative presentations and lively social functions.

NHST Events AS is part of the Norwegian news organisation NHST Media Group with operational headquarters in London.

Source: NHST Events. 10 February 2012

http://www.mynewsdesk.com/uk/pressroom/nhst-events/pressrelease/view/faliure-of-shipping-to-deal-with-asbestos-examined-731337

Are Class Societies to blame for asbestos exposure?

Tradewinds have recently reported that scores of ships built in the last 10 years containing substantial amounts of banned asbestos have triggered claims that classification societies have failed to police the industry.

The International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) has submitted a paper to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to clarify exactly where responsibility lies in the regulations on asbestos. In July 2002 the IMO banned under Solas the installation of asbestos on new buildings and existing ships. A total ban was then brought in on 1st January 2011.

However, this has been criticised. Henning Gramann, former ship recycling boss at Germanischer Lloyd argues that class societies have for many years  wrongly issued Safety of Life at Sea (Solas) certificates for ships containing asbestos. He further states that classification societies have been laz in accepting asbestos-free certificates or statements from shipyards for equipment installations without checking their accuracy. The IACS paper is to go before the IMO this week during a meeting of the sub-committee on ship design and equipment.

It is clear that regulation on asbestos in maritime vessels needs to be ratified in order to highlight the duty holder. The impending Hong Kong Convention for the safe and environmentally sound recycling of ships 2009 would go a long way to clarifying this, as it would require all vessels above 500 GT to hold an Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM). The hazardous materials listed in this inventory have been compiled by the IMO and include asbestos. Many ship owners are already issuing IHMs to ensure entry to ports and yards and successful safety inspection checks.

More ship owners need to consider possession of IHMs to ensure their vessels are truly free of asbestos and other hazardous materials. Until clarification on regulation and guidance is agreed upon, ship owners should rely only on hazardous material experts such as Lucion Marine to provide accredited, experienced and expert advice on asbestos and hazard management.

Source: Lucion Marine. 14 February 2012

http://www.greenpassport.net/are-class-societies-to-blame-for-asbestos-exposure/

Navy Sinkex Program Raises Fears about Asbestos, Other Toxins

Navy Ship

A military exercise involving the sinking of ships may be causing inadvertent environmental exposure to asbestos and other pollutants.

The program — known as Sinkex , short for sinking exercise — is the Navy’s performance of target practice with live missiles and bombs to destroy old Naval ships.

The problem is that some of these ships have been known to contain toxins, including asbestos, PCBs, lead and mercury, potentially leaking into the environment.

Asbestos exposure has been linked to the development of mesothelioma, a rare cancer of the lining of the lungs, in addition to lung cancer, asbestosis, and pleural plaques.

Concerns are being raised by some who fear that the government program is not considering the well-being of the environment.

Navy Sinkex Program:

The Navy’s sinking exercise has gone on for decades, and many within the ranks deem this use of target practice as necessary for national security.

Sinkex allows the Navy to use live fire to study the “weapons lethality” in simulated environments.

Records from the past 12 years show that over 109 old U.S. warships were sank using missiles, torpedoes, and large guns. Many of the exercises occurred off the coasts of Florida, California, Hawaii and other states.

Florida and California are 2 states with the highest amount of mesothelioma cases, a disease exclusively linked to asbestos exposure.

All of the ships that were destroyed were listed as old, peeling, rusty and no longer suitable for military use. Within the same 12-year period, at one of the 6 approved shipbreaking facilities, 64 ships were recycled.

According to reports from The Associated Press, the Navy retained minimal records of the  hazardous substances that were aboard ships that were disposed through the Sinkex program. Because of this, the real environmental and health dangers cannot be fully understood.

In 1999, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) required that the Navy take more steps to document waste on the ships, in exchange for exemption from federal pollution laws that deemed any dumbing in the ocean as illegal.

AP also cites new proof that warships sunk off the coast of Florida may have caused increased levels of a toxic substance known as polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCB, in nearby fish.

Sinkex was paused for two years during the 1990s because critics believed that the program was out of bounds of the federal Toxic Substances Control Act’s rules of PBC releases.

Today, the program continues.

“The Sinkex program provides numerous benefits to the Navy by making target vessels available for at-sea live-fire exercises,” said Christopher Johnson, Navy spokesman.

“Each vessel is put through a rigorous cleaning process that includes the removal, to the maximum extent practicable, of all materials which may degrade the marine environment.”

The Navy and Asbestos

The relationship between the Navy and toxic materials date back decades, with an unfortunately close one with asbestos.

This naturally-occurring mineral was used for its insulation and heat-resistant properties in countless naval products including ship piping, tiling, ceiling, flooring, engines and other components.

Consequently, Navy veterans have historically represented a sizable portion of those with asbestos-related diseases. Some estimates say veterans account for as much as one-third of all mesothelioma cases.

The VA now provides certain benefits to veterans with known asbestos exposure stemming from military service.

Because the dangers of asbestos were not completely understood until the 1960s, widespread use of the substance was common.

Battleships, aircraft carriers, cruisers, submarines, destroyers, frigates, marine ships, escort carriers and other naval vessels were all known to contain asbestos.

Asbestos exposure has been limited in recent years because of reduced use.

Source: Asbestos.com. By Mark Hall. 12 March 2012

http://www.asbestos.com/news/2012/03/12/navy-sinkex-program-raises-fears-about-asbestos-other-toxins/

MEDIA ALERT – GROUNDBREAKING RULING SHOWS WAY FORWARD FOR ASBESTOS VICTIMS

Asbestos still a threat to thousands of workers in the shipbreaking industry

Brussels, 23 February 2012 - On 13 February 2012 in a historical ruling an Italian court sentenced two former top managers of multinational construction company Eternit to a 16-year jail term and fines worth millions of euros (1). Both former managers are accused of having allowed the use of asbestos in the company’s production chain knowing it could potentially poison and even kill thousands of its workers.

The groundbreaking ruling given by the court of Torino found the Swiss businessman Stephan Schmidheiny and the Belgian baron Jean-Louis de Cartier de Marchienne, guilty of environmental crimes against thousands of workers of the Italian-based branch of Eternit. According to the NGO Shipbreaking Platform, a coalition of international human rights, labour rights and environmental NGOs, the Eternit court ruling gives hope to asbestos victims in the shipbreaking industry and sends out a clear warning to companies that continue to fail to protect workers against the devastating effects of asbestos.

Present in Torino on February 13, Annie Thébaud-Mony, spokesperson for Ban Asbestos-France, a member organisation of the Platform reported: “It was an amazing moment for those who refuse that profit be made at the price of people’s deaths. This sentence gives hope in justice for condemning asbestos usage not only in Europe, but also in Asia, Africa and Latin America.”

Today, Europe has put in place regulations to ban the use of asbestos. Thousands of workers and their families are still however being exposed to the threat of asbestos in other parts of the world, especially in the shipbuilding, ship repair and shipbreaking industries. In South Asia, where the vast majority of ships are broken, no measures are taken to protect the workers against being exposed to toxic substances. It is reported that thousands of shipbreaking workers have fallen ill to asbestosis, a type of lung cancer caused by inhaling asbestos fibers over long periods of time. Asbestos plates originating from ships are further resold on the second hand market, endangering also the health of construction workers.

Most ships currently broken on the beaches of India, Bangladesh and Pakistan were built in the 1970’s and the beginning of the 1980’s and contain large quantities of asbestos in their structure. Many of these ships originate from Europe and are sold by European ship owners (2) seeking to avoid the costs of providing adequate occupational health and safety measures and environmental protection. South Asian shipbreaking yards are well known for their weak enforcement of environmental regulations and lack of workers rights.

“The Eternit ruling warns that a company’s high-ranking decision makers can be held liable for their failure to protect workers against diseases caused by asbestos and other toxic substances, and that this lack of due diligence is to be considered a criminal act, ” said Ingvild Jenssen, Director of the NGO Shipbreaking Platform. “European ship owners should think twice before selling their ships to breaking yards known for not protecting their workers against hazardous substances such as asbestos.”

Raffaele Guariniello, the Italian prosecutor who defended the former Eternit employees and Italian municipalities in the lawsuit, will be in Paris on Saturday 25 February 2012 to discuss “the new boundaries of criminal law”.

(1) In the case of the 13 February 2012 ruling, the court of Torino sentenced the two managers to pay a fine of 25 million euros to the municipality of Casale Monferrato, 20 million euros to the region of Piemonte, 15 million euros to Inail, an insurance company for work-related accidents, and 4 million euros to the municipality of Cavagnolo. Eight other organisations and trade unions will receive between 70,000 and 100,000 euros each. The victims and their families will each receive between 30,000 and 35,000 euros.

Source: NGO Shipbreaking Platform. 23 February 2012

http://www.shipbreakingplatform.org/media-alert-groundbreaking-ruling-shows-way-forward-for-asbestos-victims/

ASBESTOS ‘FAILURE’ BY CLASS SOCIETIES - TRADEWINDS

Ship recyclers are firing off claims that class societies have failed to police the industry and wrongly issued safety certificates.

Scores of ships built in the past 10 years containing substantial amounts of banned asbestos have triggered claims that classification societies have failed to police the industry. Critics say they have been lax and accuse them of wrongly issuing safety certificates.

A major asbestos ban was introduced for ship installations in 2002 and a total ban at the beginning of last year. But it is acknowledged that a large-scale problem persists and the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) has now submitted a paper to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) focussing on a “unified interpretation” of the regulations, seeking to clarify especially where responsibility lies.

It has sparked, however, a scathing criticism by a well-known figure in the ship-recycling industry where asbestos in end-of-life vessels continues to be of major concern.

Henning Gramann, managing director of Green Ship Recycling (GSR) Services and a former ship recycling boss at Germanischer Lloyd, has accused classification societies for many years of wrongly issuing Safety of Life at Sea (Solas) certificates for ships containing asbestos.

Gramann says he has come across numerous cases of asbestos while surveying vessels for inventories of hazardous materials (IHMs), a requirement of the still to-be ratified Hong Kong Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound recycling of Ships. Classification societies, he claims, have been lax in accepting asbestos-free certificates or statements from shipyards for equipment installations without checking their accuracy.

Surveyors have not been properly trained, it is alleged, to identify asbestos and where it is most likely to be found. “And of course, these declarations from the shipyards are useless if they have not fully controlled the incoming materials themselves and that their suppliers don’t have a fully-controlled supply chain,” said Gramann.

The IACS paper goes before the IMO’s sub-committee on ship design and equipment, which meets next week.

In July 2002, the IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) banned under Solas the installation of asbestos on newbuildings and existing ships, with a few exceptions. A total ban was introduced on 1 January 2011.

Gramann claims IACS members want to start taking positive action only a decade after the Solas ban became effective and for which the issuing of Solas certificates had earned them a lot of money.

If the IACS’s paper on how to  implement the Solas ban is accepted, it will legitimise the past failings of classification societies and prevent shipowners from seeking compensation once they discover asbestos exists on board, argues Gramann.

In the meantime, he says, owners risk being caught by surveys, already being carried out in Australia and the Netherlands, targetting asbestos on ships.

Gramann notes that since 1 December 2011, owners can only place a vessel under the Dutch flag after undergoing an asbestos survey or commissioning an IHM in accordance with the new Hong Kong recycling convention.

The extent that the Solas ban has been flouted, says Gramman, is illustrated by figures from a colleague handling asbestos surveys on ships entering Australia.

It is claimed that of 140 vessels he had inspected, asbestos was discovered on 114. The checks covered ships delivered by yards since 1 January 2003, which meant they all fell under the Solas convention.

Often, says Gramann, asbestos is discovered in flange gaskets, coatings, pipe insulation and in accommodation areas.

The issue has been simmering below the surface for some time. A letter from former IMO secretarygeneral Efthimios Mitropoulos in December 2010 to IACS noted that despite being prohibited, the IMO knew of several contraventions.

It added that some ships considered to be asbestos-free now appeared to have materials containing the substance because of repairs at shipyards and/or purchasing spare parts.

“This may pose serious risks to the health of crew members, ship surveyors and inspectors and persons working in shipbuilding, repairing and recycling yard facilities,” said the Mitropoulos letter.

The same month, the MSC issued a circular to raise awareness in which it warned that asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) were still being found in such places as fire blankets, joint and insulation materials, some sealants and friction material for brakes, as well as wall and ceiling coverings.

It stressed the importance of training surveyors and inspectors in detecting asbestos and ACMs on board ships.

When asbestos is detected on board in contravention of Solas, it must be removed by professionals within three years. “This is at the cost of the shipowner,” said Gramann, who argues that in some instances, following a risk assessment, it may be safer to leave the asbestos in situ rather than disturb it.

‘Robust verification process’ needed to stamp out menace

Paul Sadler, International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) permanent representative to the International Maritime Organisation(IMO), says IACS is concerned at the emphasis being placed on classification societies and recognised organisations (ROs) to discover asbestos once it is on board ships.

A better way of dealing with the problem is to ensure that when equipment is ordered a “robust verification process” is in place, he says. The issue was currently being tackled from the “wrong end”.

Sadler says the thrust of IACS’s paper to next week’s sub-committee on ship design and equipment is how such verification should be achieved.

“We believe, as far as possible, that the emphasis should be on getting asbestos-free declarations and supporting documentation at the time equipment is supplied to the shipyard or repair yard,” he said.

Added Sadler: “We think the original wording of the MSC (Maritime Safety Committee) circular didn’t necessarily hit the right emphasis. We have a reasonable duty to address the issue but you have to realise the physical limitations of visual examination to detect this stuff.”

He says it was evidence produced by the Netherlands that alerted the IMO to the fact that asbestos prohibition was not being achieved as intended. The Netherlands found that ships were still being built with significant amounts of asbestos on board.

Sadler says he does not know on what Henning Gramann of Green Ship Recycling (GSR) Services bases his claim that IACS is now seeking to legitimise what has happened over the past 10 years since asbestos was banned from most areas of a ship.

“We want to bring to people’s attention that it isn’t all down to the guy trying to find it once it is on board,” said Sadler. “There is no magic bullet like putting a magnet to it to find out whether it is metallic or non-metallic.”

The only answer would be to send every piece of material installed on a ship to a laboratory for testing but this was not practical.

“I think it is getting the balance right of who is responsible,” said Sadler. “We don’t want to say to the suppliers and shipyards ‘don’t worry, it will be found if it gets on board’.”

The responsibility of class societies going forward requires further discussion, he says. It is clear what the policymakers want but more consideration is needed on how to deliver.

Source: NGO Shipbreaking Platform. By Geoff Garfield. 10 February 2012 

http://www.shipbreakingplatform.org/tradewinds-asbestos-failure-by-class-societies/

Fundamentals To Look For Regarding Ship Recycling:

Ship Recycling Yard

There are many types of recycling taking place today and in the future everything in theory should be able to be recycled. Ship recycling is one means of recycling that that offers the possibility to reuse parts and equipment of a ship. Steel can be recycled into new steel and both copper and aluminum can also be recycled in a similar way. By doing this we reuse our natural resources.

Although the principles and intentions behind the recycling of ships is sound, many shipyards do not adopt environmental standards. The Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships in May 2009 provided some standards that should be adopted. Companies wanting to enter the ship recycling industry or companies wanting to utilize the services of a recycling ship company should keep these next few fundamental tips in mind when looking to recycle their ships.

• International regulations state that ship owners need to equip their new and existing ships with inventories of hazardous materials. This also includes shipyards that offer barge builders.
• A step before recycling would be to sell existing ships to be used still.
• A ship should be rigorously checked – via radiation surveys, hazardous material audits and samplings and other measures before it is delivered to a recycling yard for recycling ensuring the safety of the surrounding environment.
• One should also ensure that the chosen facility has professionally trained staff and appropriate safety and environmental protection procedures in place.

These important fundamental regulations will benefit the core outcome of green ship recycling. The intention of recycling the ships is there but it should also be done in a green manner to offer holistic sustainability. 

This approach will help to ensure -

• minimize the environmental impact, 
• reduce the occurrence of oil spills, 
• no discharge of toxic waste, 
• proper dealing with asbestos, 
• no burning of cables, 
• proper refrigerant recovery, 
• recycling of all recyclable materials and 
• environmentally sound disposal of all materials. 
• ensure a safe and secure working environment for ship recycling staff.

Whether you need boat repairs or ship recycling handled or you want to utilize ship recycling at your shipyard, these are fundamentals in the process of the recycling of ships.

Source: Eco Blog. 24 January 2012

http://www.ecoblog.co.za/recycling/ship-recycling/

Ship Recycling Forum 2012:

Who's Paying?

“The TradeWinds Recycling Forum is a premier event covering the industry with the active participation of all its significant players. Here, the debates and dialogues result in an impetus for progress in the industry. We are delighted to be supporting this important event and welcome the shipping community to the Lion City Singapore!” -Rakesh Khetan (Billu), CEO, WIRANA

Latest press release for Ship Recycling Forum 2012, powered by MyNewsDesk.

Why Attend?

More and more shipowners consider scrapping to be a ‘headline risk’, but still for many it’s a risk worth taking. Recycling facilities in the Indian sub continent require capital and expertise to bring them to Hong Kong Convention standards, but who will pay? Can there ever be an acceptable price worth paying for dangerous working conditions? Large scale investments in ship recycling facilities in China are planned, but are changes in global legislation needed first for such projects ever to pay?

The ship recycling market never stands still. To quote TradeWinds, ‘A lack of credit, falling prices, a disconnect between expectations and reality coupled with wider economic woes have lead to a “tumultuous” Autumn for the ship recycling industry.’ And now, following COP10 in Cartagena, international opinion appears to remain split over the controversial issue of whether the HKC provides an equivalent level of control as the Basel Convention in preventing the dumping of waste in developing countries. So can the industry now expect further legislative changes in the pipeline for shipowners and recyclers?

Whatever your priority - obtaining the best price for a ship or promoting green recycling - or both – this Forum offers the right contacts and practical guidance for you to successfully navigate the commercial, regulatory and public relations minefield.

Make sure you are up to date with the very latest changes – markets, technology and legislation when the industry meets in Singapore.

PROGRAMME

12 March: Technical

12.45 – 14.45 ISRA General Meeting (open to delegates))

15.00 TradeWinds Ship Recycling Forum registration & welcome coffee

Side effects of raised awareness on HazMats: how can ship owners deal with the risks?

• Asbestos surveys on Chinese newbuildings.

• Getting the ship you contracted

• Avoiding operational risks (e.g. Australia and Netherlands)

• Avoidance of liability

• Cleaning up the supply chain

• Assuring compliance

• Creating a chain of liability and already available tools

• Selecting the most appropriate certifiers, for ship owners and recyclers

Web-based software for managing your fleet IHM

18.00 – 19.30 Welcome reception kindly hosted by ClassNK

13 March: Commercial & political

8.30 Welcome coffee & croissants

8.50 Welcome remarks

9.00 SESSION 1: Ship owner’s priorities, challenges and obligations when scrapping.

Forum keynote address: The shipowners’ role in recycling

What are the ingredients of a successful transaction?

What do shipowners want from cash buyers?

The do’s and don’ts of scrapping from a shipowner’s perspective.

Where does the balance of burden lie?

Q&A (15 minutes)

10.15 Coffee break

10.30 SESSION 2: Finding a workable way forward – getting to grips with global ship recycling legislation.

Session keynote & panel discussion on keynote

What does the future hold - outlook for the Hong Kong Convention after COP10? Are new regulations creating commercial opportunities? Where does it leave ship owners looking to stay on the right side of the law and environmental pressure groups?

13.00 Delegate luncheon

14.00 SESSION 3: Who’s paying? Panel discussion with Nisha Pillai, International journalist and broadcaster

All agree on the need for higher standards, but who is willing to pay?

Is it unrealistic to expect the change to happen over-night and does scrapping enjoying the image it deserves?

Nisha Pillai brings 25 years of experience as a BBC journalist and news anchor to her role as moderator. Until recently, Nisha was one of the main news anchors for BBC World News, presenting rolling news programmes to global audiences. She also has many years of investigative reporting for the BBC’s Panorama and Money Programme under her belt.

15.30 Afternoon tea break

15.45 SESSION 4: Supply and Demand – where are prices going?

What market dynamics are in play? What’s happening in the steel demand sector – India, Bangladesh and China. What are the drivers and market dynamics for scrap steel demand? Are bans on single hulls, low freight rates and tonnage oversupply pushing more ships towards the beaches? What are market measurement challenges of unreported sales.

2 X 10 minutes market snapshots followed by discussion

Factors affecting steel demand and the correlation with scrap prices.

Supply – factors contributing to the rise in scrapping candidates and volume – what can be expected in the next 12-18 months?

17.00 Forum concludes

17.00 – 18.00 Cocktail reception kindly hosted by Sea2Cradle & Lloyd’s Register

18.15 Transport to venue for TradeWinds Ship Recycling Forum dinner kindly hosted by Wirana

• Programme may be subject to change.

Information:

Date: 12 - 13 March

Location: Singapore

TradeWinds subscribers:

SG1195.00

€695.00

Non-TradeWinds subscribers:

SG2225.00

€1295.00

Source: NHST Events

http://www.nhstevents.com/events/ship-recycling-forum-2012/   

Information booklet on 'Asbestos on ships & in yards' available:

The information booklet “ASBESTOS ON VESSELS AND IN YARDS” has been printed and is now available.

The booklet covers a number of Asbestos Related issues such as:

- What is Asbestos

- Recognising Asbestos

- Asbestos and Health

- Ten Questions about Asbestos

- Dealing with Asbestos on board

- New Materials

- Legislation

a free copy of the booklet can be ordered at Sea2Cradle BV. Please send your name, address and company details and we will send the booklet to you. Please send your request to: sales@sea2cradle.com. 

When you require a number of booklets (i.e. for the vessels in your fleet) we will print the booklets and send them to you. You will be invoiced for printing and shipping costs. Please send your request to: sales@sea2cradle.com.

Source: Sea2Cradle. By Douwe Joustra, 1 December 2011

http://www.sea2cradle.com/2011/information-booklet-on-asbestos-available/

Exxon Mobil Creates Green U.S. Recycling Jobs:

Decides Not to Dump its Old Tanker on Asian Beaches

Seattle, WA. | November 8th, 2011 – 

Instead of sending their defunct tanker to the infamous ship-scrapping beaches of South Asia, Exxon Mobil and wholly owned subsidiary SeaRiver Maritime, recently completed the sale of the S/R Wilmington, a 1984 built tanker, to a U.S. ship recycling facility, where it will be dismantled by a skilled workforce, using advanced technologies to manage the vessel’s hazardous waste stream. Exxon’s move to recycle the Wilmington in the U.S. is seen by the toxic trade watchdog organization, Basel Action Network (BAN), as a move to lead by example, opting for the safe and environmentally preferable ship recycling methods of U.S. ship recyclers, while creating green U.S. jobs in a tough economy.

“We applaud this decision and hope this is a harbinger of many more such corporate choices – to internalize costs and not use the global commons or developing countries as convenient dumping grounds for pollution and harmful activities,” said Mr. Colby Self, Green Ship Recycling Campaign Director for BAN.

This move is in stark contrast to some of Exxon’s competitors including BP, who often send their retired fleets to the shipbreaking beaches of South Asia, where nearly a quarter of the exploited workforce at these yards are child laborers making less than USD$1 per day, and where little is done to protect their health and safety or that of the environmentally sensitive tidal flats where these vessels are scrapped.

Because of its age, the Wilmington is suspected of containing a host of hazardous wastes within its construction. These wastes cannot be managed in an environmentally sound manner on the shipbreaking beaches of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, where approximately 90% of the obsolete global shipping fleet is dismantled. Using advanced technologies at U.S. ship recycling facilities, these wastes, including PCBs, asbestos, lead, and mercury are contained and managed with proper care, while approximately 91% of the vessel, including critical metal resources such as steel, aluminum, and copper, are fully recycled and recirculated into the marketplace, thereby reducing demand for environmentally destructive primary metal mining and related carbon emissions.

“BAN is pleased with this outcome after having been in close contact with Exxon/SeaRiver for months,” said Self. “Building on this positive result, we now call on Exxon to further lead by example to make a corporate commitment to Off the Beach environmentally sound management of all end-of-life vessels owned, operated or leased on behalf of Exxon/SeaRiver.”

The NGO Platform, of which BAN is a part, is seeking an “Off the Beach Commitment” from all enterprises utilizing shipping. This Commitment entails agreeing to ensure that the ships used by a company directly or under contract, do not find their way to the beaches of South Asia at end-of-life.

Source: Basel Action Network (Media Press Release). 8 November 2011

http://www.ban.org/2011/11/08/exxon-mobil-creates-green-u-s-recycling-jobs/

SR WILMINGTON, Photography by Chris Hunsicker 

Details of Vessel - SR WILMINGTON - IMO 8109670

Ship Type: Chemical Tanker

Year Built: 1984

Length x Breadth: 193m X 32m

Draught: 24.1 m

Gross tonnage: 27,508 tons

DeadWeight: 48779 t

Speed recorded (Max / Average): 11.2 / 8.3 knots

Flag: USA [US] 

Call Sign: WBVZ

MMSI: 367493000 

IMO: 8109670

Builder: Avondale Shipyard, New Orleans La, USA

Owner: Exxonmobil - Irving Tx, USA

Source: Marine Traffic. 14 November 2011

http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/showallphotos.aspx?imo=8109670

Debate on Ship Recycling: In the Canadian House of Commons

Debates of Nov. 4th, 2011: Ship Recycling - Oral Questions

Megan Leslie Halifax, NS

Mr. Speaker, Marine Atlantic sold two ferries on the condition that they would be broken down ethically. Instead, these boats wound up in Alang, India, which is one of the most dangerous shipyards in the world. It is known for its environmental and human rights violations. Last year around 27 workers were killed in the shipyard alone.

We are shipping dangerous asbestos overseas, and we are disposing our waste with no regard for human safety. My question is, how could the government let this happen?

Pierre Poilievre, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to supporting Marine Atlantic.

We are investing $500 million to help Marine Atlantic renew its fleet and shore facilities. As a crown corporation, Marine Atlantic is arm's-length from the Government of Canada and is responsible for the management of its own operations.

The disposal of the MV Joseph and Clara Smallwood and MV Caribou was an operational decision made by Marine Atlantic.

Megan Leslie Halifax, NS

Mr. Speaker, why are we sending our ships to be destroyed in such a hazardous environment when we have some of the world's finest shipyards here in Canada?

The government is literally shipping our jobs overseas, and has no regard for human safety and the environment. We know that the Alang shipyard employs children. We know it breaks up the ships on the beach. These ships are probably filled with asbestos.

This is not the kind of Canada we want. Why is the government letting good jobs leave Canada to be completed in one of the world's deadliest shipyards?

Pierre Poilievre; Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport

Mr. Speaker, I do not know why the hon. member wants the Government of Canada, politicians, to interfere in the daily operational decisions of Marine Atlantic, which is an arm's-length crown corporation. I do not know if she wants to politicize what should be an arm's-length group.

The disposal of the MV Joseph and Clara Smallwood and the MV Caribou was an operational decision made by Marine Atlantic.

Our government is committed to supporting Marine Atlantic. We are committed to renewing its fleet and its shore facilities. We ask that the NDP finally come around to supporting us in our work on that.

Source: Open Parliament.Ca. 4 November 2011

http://openparliament.ca/hansards/2413/100/only/

http://openparliament.ca/hansards/2413/100/