Industry calls to promote
green ship recycling in Europe
Ship recyclers based in the EU are
concerned that the future European regulation on ship recycling will divert
even more end-of-life vessels to Asia and hamper their business instead of
keeping this valuable stream inside the EU, according to a common Statement of
Concern signed by major European ship recyclers and released today by the NGO
Shipbreaking Platform. Addressed to the European Parliament and to EU Member
States, the statement[1] calls on decision-makers to take into account the ship
recycling capacity offered by European facilities rather than brush them off as
not sufficient and leave the gates open for end-of-life vessels full of
hazardous materials to be exported to developing countries.
Every year, about 1,000 ocean-going ships
are sent for recycling, most of which end up on the beaches of South Asia.
Shipbreaking in developing countries leads to disastrous environmental
pollution and is often done in extremely dangerous working conditions.
“Keeping end-of-life vessels in the EU
would ensure that hazardous waste in their structure – such as asbestos – is
properly managed and that workers’ rights are protected”, says Patrizia
Heidegger, Executive Director of the Platform. “We expect the EU to create
sustainable jobs in green ship recycling facilities in Europe by guaranteeing a
steady supply of end-of-life vessels to European ship recyclers”.
In its proposal for a regulation on ship
recycling, the European Commission argued that European end-of-life vessels
were exported to South Asia because capacities within the EU and the OECD would
not suffice. However, the Commission failed to take into account facilities in
Canada, the US, Mexico, and Turkey. A recent report[2] published by the Platform
shows that all EU-flagged ships could be recycled in OECD facilities, without
having to send them to the beaches of South Asia.
“The capacity for safe and environmentally
sound ship recycling is here – it is a question of political will to demand and
promote green ship recycling in Europe”, says Patrizia Heidegger.
Tomorrow, the European Parliament’s
Environment Committee will be debating the Commission Proposal and the draft
report by rapporteur Carl Schlyter MEP. Schlyter’s draft report[3], which was
made public last week, supports the development of EU ship recycling capacity
through a funding mechanism. This would be an incentive for shipowners calling
at EU ports to recycle their ships in an environmentally sound and safe manner.
Currently, European facilities can hardly compete with the prices offered to
shipowners by sub-standard shipbreaking yards in India, Bangladesh, and
Pakistan.
The NGO Shipbreaking Platform and
Greenpeace EU Unit support this funding mechanism in their joint position paper
on the European Commission Proposal[4]. The Platform is currently working on a
survey that will detail how such a mechanism could work.
NOTES:
[1] The signed statement of concern is
available here: http://bit.ly/V5OZHL
[2] The report “Industrial Capabilities of
North America: A report on “green ship recycling in the United States, Canada
and Mexico” is available here: http://bit.ly/T6wOSJ
[3] The draft report by Carl Schlyter MEP
on the European Commission’s proposal for a ship recycling regulation is available
here: http://bit.ly/Tj6kNh
[4] The joint position paper on the
Commission’s proposal published by the Platform and Greenpeace EU Unit is
available here: http://bit.ly/TGKbKi
CONTACT:
NGO Shipbreaking Platform
Patrizia Heidegger
Executive Director
+32 2 6094 419
Roberto Ferrigno
Policy Adviser
+32 497 43 36 88
Source: Shipbreaking Platform. 27 November
2012
http://www.shipbreakingplatform.org/press-release-eu-jeopardizes-jobs-by-exporting-end-of-life-vessels-industry-calls-to-promote-green-ship-recycling-in-europe/
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