IRClass is among the first organisations in
the world to certify ship recycling yards according to EU standards as an
‘Independent Verifier’.
IRClass Systems and Solutions (ISSPL), an
entity promoted by Indian Register of Shipping, has certified four leading ship
recycling yards in Alang as an ‘Independent Verifier’ in accordance with the
requirements of European Union Ship Recycling Regulation (EUSRR) 1257/2013.
The four yards which have met the standards
set by the EU and the Hong Kong Convention are: Priya Blue Industries; Shree
Ram Vessel Scrap; R L Kalathia Ship Breaking; and Leela Ship Recycling.
These recycling yards are India’s first
recycling yards to be certified based on EU standards and have submitted their
applications for inclusion in the EU recognised yards list. The deadline for
application submission was 30th June 2016 and the yard list is expected to be
released by December.
India is home to one of the largest ship
breaking facilities in the world with over 150 yards along its coast. On an
average, close to 6.2 Million GT is scrapped in India every year, which
accounts for 33% of the total scrapped tonnage in the world. Recently, however,
health and environmental concerns have led to adoption of new policy regimes at
international level.
The policy on EUSRR mandates vessels under
the EU flag to be scrapped in recognised ship breaking yards. In the past four
years, approximately 310 EU flagged vessels were scrapped, out of which 107
were scrapped in India, amounting close to 4.3 Million tons in deadweight.
Recognition from EU will allow these Indian yards to become a preferred option
over others in the area in coming years.
The ship breaking industry, being a highly
price sensitive market, having to adopt health and environmental regulations
may imply significant expenses in a competitive business environment. It will
be important for Indian yards to select the right partners to work with so as
to achieve compliance as per the Hong Kong Convention as well as EUSRR. While IRClass
has emerged as a partner of choice for these yards, there are several other
yards which have also approached IRClass for the certification.
“IRClass is happy to have assisted the
recycling yards in achieving this goal. We shall continue to encourage other
yards in the region and globally, to adopt environment friendly recycling
standards,” said Arun Sharma (pictured), Chairman of ISSPL.
These organisations have taken the initiative
to adopt environmentally sound ship recycling procedures while ensuring equal
importance towards workmen safety, health and welfare.
EU ship recycling regulation entered into
force at the end of 2013, and its requirements phased-in between 31st December
2015 and 31st December 2020.
Source: Hellenic
shipping news. 23 July 2016
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