The European Community Shipowners’ Associations
(ECSA) reported back from their visit to Alang, India, earlier this year citing
an unquestionable willingness for yards to be transparent about the state of
play as they move towards healthy, safe and environmentally sound ship
recycling. NGO Shipbreaking Platform has now accused ECSA of turning a blind
eye to the realities of the business.
The Hong Kong Convention lies at the center
of the debate. The convention, adopted in 2009, will enter into force 24 months
after ratification by 15 States. So far, just four states are on board:
Belgium, Norway, France and Congo. In its absence, the concept of Hong Kong
Convention-compliant recycling yards has emerged.
Hazardous Materials Handling
Hong Kong Convention-compliant yards are
expected to have an Inventory of Hazardous Materials for each ship that arrives
for recycling. Based on the information within this inventory, they develop
safe waste removal procedures using advanced waste handling facilities (for
example negative pressure asbestos handling units), as well as employing a
trained workforce for handling specific wastes. Furthermore, the Convention
requires that all hazardous wastes must be transferred to a waste management
facility that is authorized to deal with their treatment and disposal in a safe
and environmentally sound manner.
ECSA documented evidence of responsible waste
disposal during their visit but conceded that the waste handling management of
asbestos containing materials needed to be
clarified.
NGO Shipbreaking Platform is critical. “Even
though the association knows that Indian law allows for the resale of
asbestos-containing material and that there is no incinerator for PCBs in
India, ECSA simply trusts that the yard owners will ensure environmentally
sound waste management on a voluntary basis, even if this creates higher costs
for the yards.”
Medical Services
The industry suffers a high casualty rate
amongst workers, a key concern for the Platform. The ECSA report documents that
the existing hospital in Alang can accommodate about 20 patients and is
equipped with rudimentary facilities including a medical analysis laboratory,
surgery room and radiology room. Two ambulances are available. The closest more
advanced hospital is located in Bhavnagar which is at about an hour’s drive
from Alang.
NGO Shipbreaking Platform is dissatisfied
with situation. “Though ECSA found that there is only a rudimentary first aid
centre in Alang and no functional hospital in the close vicinity, the
shipowners’ association does not demand an immediate remedy to the unacceptable
situation.” The accident statistics shared with ECSA in Indai show that between
May 2015 and January 2016 at least five workers were killed in the yards.
During this period the local steel market was very weak and many Alang yards
were forced to close. The workforce was at that time reported to have been
reduced to less than 5,000 workers. “The accident rate is thus alarmingly
high,” says the Platform.
Compliance Concerns
There are concerns about the compliance
process raised by both ECSA and the Platform. ECSA’s report highlights a
potential difference in compliance certification. ClassNK has certified four
yards in Alang and RINA has certified one. Whilst the entire ClassNK process
takes up to 18 months, the RINA process took around four months and cost a lot
less. “The reason for such a difference can be found in the fact that RINA
certified the first yard for the area located in the secondary cutting zone and
waste disposal facilities. The entire procedure including the dismantling of
the ship itself could not be performed because no ‘sample’ ship was available
at the yard at the time of the certification,” says ECSA.
NGO Shipbreaking Platform complains that
statements of compliance only look at procedures and not the actual performance
of the yards, although both classification societies intend to limit the amount
of yard certifications (eight for ClassNK and 10 for RINA) with the aim at
monitoring how those yards perform over time.
Beaching Concerns
The ECSA report states that according to
normal practice in the most progressive yards, blocks cut from the ship are
dropped into the hull which serves as a containment system. For blocks cannot
be laid down in the ship’s hull (because of the ship structure or for the
bow/stern part of the ship), current practice is to clean these blocks before
being grounded on the beach. Each block is then immediately safely pulled onto
the secondary (impermeable) cutting area using winches and cranes.
However, NGO Shipbreaking Platform points out
that whilst some yards in Alang have cemented the areas where they conduct
secondary cutting, all yards in Alang conduct the primary cutting of the ship
in the intertidal zone. “ECSA argues that pollution in the intertidal zone can
be controlled by only letting clean blocks fall into the sea or onto the beach.
ECSA cannot, however, explain how blocks are actually cleaned and where the
chemicals necessary in this process end up. The contamination by toxic
anti-fouling paints that are accumulated in the sediments is completely ignored
by ECSA, as are the difficulties of preventing and remediating oil spills in
the intertidal zone.”
However, Nikos Mikelis, Non Executive
Director, at cash buyer GMS, says ensuring safe and environmentally responsible
recycling is all a matter of management rather than location. “In the past the
ship recycling industry in South Asia was characterised by poor safety and
environmental protection standards. This, alongside persistent but not
technically focused lobbying by NGO activists, have led to beaching being
widely associated with poor ship recycling standards. However, the fact is that
it is just as possible to have a clean, safe and sustainable recycling process
on a beach, as it is to create an unsafe and polluting environment by recycling
alongside a pier.”
Making a Difference
Despite the issues, is Convention compliance
is making a difference in a process which, like adoption of the Convention
itself, is not expected to happen overnight? According to Mikelis, it is.
“With five yards in Alang achieving Hong Kong
Convention compliance certification and twenty further yards currently going
through Hong Kong Convention Statements of Compliance process, the progressive
change in the ship recycling market is clear to see. As the shipping industry
becomes aware of its responsibility to improve its sustainability, this
progress will only continue.
“Currently, the demand for green recycling is
filling the Hong Kong Convention-compliant yards in India. This in turn is
driving improvement throughout the region, creating increased competition and a
virtuous cycle. At the same time, the yards themselves are realising that
previous practices are no longer socially or environmentally acceptable, or
economically prudent, and that the market will hold them accountable for such
practices.”
Patrizia Heidegger, Executive Director of the
NGO Shipbreaking Platform, however, is sceptical. For her, the ECSA report does
not document a fact-finding mission. Rather it is a promotion brochure for the
Indian beaching yards. “The true intent is to gain support for the most
convenient solution for shipowners: the continuation of the low-cost method of
beaching that allows for maximum profit for shipping lines”.
ECSA remains optimistic about ratification of
the Hong Kong Convention, and the ECSA report points out that some yards are
willing to accept the financial cost of compliance – something it says could be
mitigated by the steady flow of end of life ships. “Responsible involvement of
both shipowners and cash buyers must therefore be part of the solution.”
Source: maritime-executive.
21 July 2016
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