On Monday 20th of April
2015, Michael Grey of Lloyds List published the article "Name-calling
bullies" where he outlined his opposition to the idea of banning beaching
and gave reasons why such a decision would be impractical and unethical for the
ship recycling industry.
In fact, throughout his
article he stressed the improvements of safety and environmental standards
which have taken place in facilities in the Indian subcontinent and highlighted
the fact that these improvements had been witnessed during a fact-finding visit
to Alang, India, by a delegation of Japanese industry and government officials
organised by GMS. To quote the article directly:
"The visit, which
was organised by the cash buyer Global Marketing Systems, was able to see the
improvements that were being made and which could be more widely spread around
the whole subcontinental recycling sector.”
In his article there are
few other arguments worth highlighting, including that if the decision is taken
to ban beaching, there would be a limited capacity of yards to carry out
recycling; IMO's efforts through the Hong Kong Convention to promote the safe and
environmentally sound recycling of ships; and the 40,000 jobs associated with
the industry of ship recycling in the Indian subcontinent.
On the 1st of May 2015,
Adam Corbett wrote in TradeWinds (Volume 26 / Number 17) that "Belgium
opposes the Brussels ban on beach scrapping.” Throughout his article similar
opinions as the aforementioned one were expressed.
It is evident that the
industry has already taken notice not only of the developments which have taken
place in ship recycling facilities which practice environmentally sound
beaching methods, but also of the necessity of such facilities to not be
excluded from the EU regulation around ship recycling.
The
Rising Standards of the Indian Subcontinent
With the raising of ship
recycling standards in the Indian subcontinent spreading, and key players in
the industry becoming aware of these improvements in the region, the resistance
to the European Commission’s (EC’s) possible ban on beaching is steadily
increasing.
Consequently, Corbett
states that "In a letter to Karmenu Vella, European Commissioner for
Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Belgian Environment Minister, Celine Fremault,
said she was keen to see that bad practices in beaching are stopped, but
explained that it would be outside the scope of the SSR (Ship Recycling
Regulation) to implicitly ban one method of demolition."
The tide seems to be
turning against those who are opposed to beaching without being willing to
witness the facts for themselves. It is evident that there are facilities capable
of complying with internationally acceptable standards and regulations in the
Indian subcontinent, and this seems to be increasingly recognised as
highlighted by Celine Fremault’s statement quoted by Corbett as follows:
"We would like to
formally request that all ship recycling facilities in third countries will be
assessed individually, based on the requirements of the regulation and guidance
in line with the regulation, taking into account the specifics of the recycling
state and recycling method used."
“Alang
is not just Alang”
GMS, in coordination
with a Danish Shipowner arranged for a study visit by vetting of ship recycling
facilities in Alang. The visit which took place in April 2015, included
representatives from the Danish Shipowners' Association (DSA) who witnessed the
ship recycling practices which are actually taking place locally.
Following up to this
study visit, the Director of the DSA, Mrs Maria Bruun Skipper, wrote that
"Alang is not just Alang" from which it was acknowledged that some of
the yards have "undergone a positive development in order to comply with
the requirements that will be set by the forthcoming Hong Kong
Convention". Going into more detail, Skipper highlighted in her article
that:
"We consequently
saw, among other things, workers wearing safety equipment and undergoing
six-monthly routine medical check-ups. We also noted that the shipyards were
engaged in operations such as asbestos handling, and regularly compiled reports
from water and soil pollution tests etc. Finally, we were able to personally
observe that three of the shipyards had laid a concrete base beneath the beach
to stop seepage of harmful substances."
Having witnessed the
facts in Alang, it appears that the DSA has recognized the need for ratification
of the Hong Kong Convention, and the necessity for the European Union to be
cautious from excluding a place such as Alang because of the bad reputation
historically.
Finally, it was worth
highlighting that those who have visited Alang, have immediately changed their
(negative) views, and this is also evident in the DSA statement, “Our visit was
just one visit, but also an eye-opener that ’Alang is not just Alang”.
For more information
about the DSA visit and rest of the comments please visit https://www.shipowners.dk/en/presse/nyheder/alang-is-not-just-alang/
European
Commission Officials Need To Visit Improved Alang Yards
GMS would like to draw
your attention to Corbett's statement that "The EC is yet to visit
breaking yards that have made significant improvements". With that in
mind, it would be encouraging to see the EU and India coordinating a direct
dialogue for a fact finding mission aiming to promote cooperation and
awareness, as was recently conducted between India and Japan. Of course, GMS
would be willing to facilitate such a delegation at any time.
GMS
and Responsible Recycling
GMS has the expertise
and resources to guide owners regarding the quality of various yards in
different countries, including Turkey, China and India. GMS has been actively
trying to promote responsible ship recycling practices for a long time. It is
therefore to our satisfaction to see that the industry is taking notice of the
need to work jointly, towards encouraging continuous developments, especially
when it comes to environmentally sound and friendly recycling practices. One of
the best ways to achieve this is by rewarding facilities which are setting high
Corporate Social Responsibility standards.
Source:
marine link. 15 June 2015
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