Brussels, 8 June 2016 – The Clean Shipping Coalition criticises container
ship giant Maersk for its statement that is considers to flag out end-of-life
vessels from the Danish or other European registries in order to circumvent the
European Ship Recycling Regulation. The Clean Shipping Coalition, a global
coalition of nine organisations promoting sustainable shipping, argues that
Maersk’s move “seriously undermines its credibility as a responsible ship
operator”.
John Maggs, senior policy advisor at Seas At Risk and president of the
Clean Shipping Coalition, said: "Maersk is a European company and should
abide by European laws. Suggesting that it might use a flag of convenience to
escape EU ship breaking rules designed to protect the environment and worker
safety is scandalous, and will seriously undermine its credibility as a
responsible ship owner and operator."
Sotiris Raptis, shipping officer at Transport & Environment, said:
“While Maersk supports innovation in reducing air polluting emissions, this
move shows a cavalier attitude towards the environmental impacts of dismantling
ships in the intertidal zone. Maersk needs to reverse course on practices that
it previously denounced and that would never be allowed in Europe.”
Maersk has recently decided to go back to India to have its old ships
scrapped in yards that operate breaking activities in the intertidal zone of
the beach. These yards will not be listed by the European Commission as they
cannot comply with the requirements under the European Ship Recycling Regulation.
“Maersk has sent a clear signal: either European environmental regulation
accommodates for its practices in India, or the world’s largest ship owner will
just ignore the Ship Recycling Regulation by flagging out”, says Patrizia
Heidegger, Director of the NGO Shipbreaking Platform. “The threat to resort to
non-European flags amounts to blackmailing law makers who seek to ensure that
European ship owners have to maintain European standards in their business
activities around the world”.
CONTACT
Patrizia Heidegger
Executive Director
NGO Shipbreaking Platform
+32 2 609 44 19
Source: NGO shipbreaking platform. 8
June 2016
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