VietNamNet Bridge – A
revised law allowing the import of used ships has inspired spirited debate
amongst authorities and experts. While some believe the law will boost the
profitable shipping industry, others are afraid serious environmental impacts
will occur if not strictly controlled.
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A revised law allowing the import of used ships has raised
controversy as some experts think that it is profitable while others are afraid
of its serious impact on the environment. — Photo baodautu.vn
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Under the revised Law on
Environmental Protection, set to go into effect on January 1 next year,
individuals and enterprises may import old ships intended for demolition
provided they satisfy environmental requirements.
Duong Thanh An, Director
of the Department of Policy and Legal Affairs of the Viet Nam Environmental
Administration, said that importers are required to prepare an application
package that includes an environmental protection dossier. The dossier includes
a declaration of the actual state of the ship, a written commitment to abide by
environmental standards and a copy of the ship yard's certificate of
satisfaction of environmental protection conditions.
"Environmental
damage insurance is also a must," An said.
A
profitable industry
The Viet Nam Maritime
Administration explained in its draft decree that recycling ships would be a
huge and high-quality source of material for the country's steel industry.
In 2012, Viet Nam had to
import nearly 4 million tonnes of scrap steel, mostly from China. Since 2012,
the need for steel imports reportedly increased by 2.5 million due to a number
of newly operating electrical steel companies.
"The permission to
import these ships will benefit the economy and create a lot of employment
opportunities for labourers," said the administration's director, Nguyen
Nhat.
"More importantly,
it will create opportunities and solutions necessary for survival of the
nation's ship building industry, which is undergoing a quite difficult time,"
he said.
According to the
maritime administration, ship builders in Viet Nam have recently seen fewer
contracts for ship building and repairs. Meanwhile, enterprises that demolish
and recycle used ships have plenty of experienced labourers with nothing to do.
Do Thai Binh, a
shipbuilding engineer from HCM City's Marine Science and Technology University,
is in favour of the new import allowance. He argues that countries should have
a ship demolishing and recycling industry, especially true for a developing
Viet Nam.
Such an industry is
inherently beneficial to the environment since it reuses scraps and old
machines from ships, he told Dat Viet (Viet Land) newspaper. Citing the
experiences of Bangladesh and Germany, he said only 3-4 per cent of a used ship
cannot be reused and recycled.
Unavoidable warnings
Despite Binh's
favourable stance, he stressed the importance of ensuring environmentally sound
practices in the demolishing and recycling process.
"The regulations
shouldn't be only those on paper. Recycling enterprises should be inspected
carefully to determine how best to deal with toxic waste from the ships,"
he said.
He added that there must
be a specialised team to address all the potential environmental threats,
including old paint and oily bilge water.
Professor Pham Ngoc
Dang, Vice President of the Viet Nam Association for Environment and Nature
Protection, also warned about the threats of toxic wastes such as oil, asbestos
and heavy metals like mercury, lead, copper, zinc, aluminium and iron.
He said that, many
people spoke only of the potential profits to businesses and the State budget;
the demolition of a big ship could bring in millions of dollars. However, he
was skeptical of such talk.
"I believe the
profit can only be gained if enterprises ignore the intricacies of the waste
treatment process," he said.
Do Huu Hao, President of
the Viet Nam Environmental Industry Association, urged for strict regulations
to be imposed on import enterprises.
"The most important
thing is that import enterprises must own a large area for such work and they
must have waste treatment capacities in place," he said.
"All the processes
and products must be in accordance with the country's environmental standards
for solid and liquid waste treatment," he said.
Deputy Minister of
Transport, Nguyen Van Cong said that the ministry requested the addition of
detailed regulations regarding the conditions for the import and demolition of
used ships.
"Enterprises
engaged in these activities must satisfy all conditions regarding capacity,
experience and environmental protection," he said.
The ministries of
transport and natural resources and environment have set criteria for ships
which could be imported and Vietnamese enterprises that are permitted to do so.
Source:
Vietnam Net. 25 October 2014
