Plans by Danish Shipping giant Maersk Group to avoid European environmental law on ship recycling by flagging ships to non-EU flags seriously undermines its credibility as a responsible operator, according to campaign group the Clean Shipping Coalition.
Plans
by Danish Shipping giant Maersk Group to avoid European environmental law on
ship recycling by flagging ships to non-EU flags seriously undermines its
credibility as a responsible ship operator, according to campaign group the
Clean Shipping Coalition.
According
to the organisation Maersk has said that it will need to scrap more vessels in
the coming years due to oversupply and low freight rates in the container
market, and it estimates it can earn an additional $1-2 million per ship by
using beaching yards in Alang, India.
“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,” commented John Maggs, senior policy advisor at Seas At
Risk and president of the Clean Shipping Coalition,
The
Coalition noted that until recently, Maersk followed a progressive policy on
ship recycling, including a ‘cradle to grave’ approach which committed to
‘total vessel recycling’.
However,
the organisation damned the shipping company’s decision to resort to the
low-cost method of beaching and said that ‘flagging out’ its ships beforehand
undermines not only the its position as a responsible industry leader, but also
European efforts to improve global conditions.
Recent
technical guidelines for ship recycling facilities issued by the European
Commission make it clear that a beach is not an appropriate place for a
high-risk heavy industry involving hazardous waste management.
While
only vessels sailing under an EU flag will be legally obliged to use an EU
approved facility, the NGOs have called for all shipping companies around the
world with a responsible policy to use EU-approved facilities to show that they
are recycling vessels responsibly.
Sotiris
Raptis, shipping officer at another campaign group, Transport &
Environment, added: “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,” concluded Raptis.
Source: waste management world.
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