As required under the
European Regulation on ship recycling, the European Commission recently published
a report on the feasibility of a financial instrument that would facilitate
safe and sound ship recycling. Questions were raised on a number of issues,
including the compatibility of such a financial instrument with E.U. and
international law, and the conclusion was that further analysis is needed.
This is how international
shipowners see the situation as well. The E.U. may not have competence to
administer an E.U. ship recycling scheme. Rather than adding another
administrative burden to all concerned parties, support should be given to the
positive development of recycling yards around the world becoming compatible
with the Hong Kong Convention.
We have to make sure that
ship recycling happens in safe and environmentally sound way. The most effective
and speedy way to deliver that objective at the global level is through early
and wide ratification and implementation of the Hong Kong Convention.
The Convention, adopted in
2009 but not yet entered into force, provides a meaningful system of workable
and enforceable regulations with the ultimate goal of lifting the level of
sustainability of recycling facilities on a global scale to the benefit of all
parties involved. It places clear and pertinent obligations on all parties
concerned – shipowners, recycling facilities, flag states as well as recycling
states – to ensure that end-of-life ships do not pose any unnecessary risks to
human health, safety and the environment when being recycled.
The European Union adopted
the E.U. Ship Recycling Regulation in 2013. It brings forward the requirements
of the Hong Kong Convention and applies them to end of life ships flagged with
E.U. Member States. According to the Regulation, owners of ships flying the
flag of E.U. Member States will have to ensure that their ships are recycled in
facilities included on the E.U. list of approved ship recycling facilities.
The European Commission
published its first edition of the E.U. list in 2016. It includes 18 European
recycling yards that are deemed safe for workers and environmentally sound.
Currently these yards featured in the list unfortunately reach only about 12
percent of the E.U.’s own recycling capacity target. The next edition of the
list including global shipyards should be published by the end of 2017, at the
earliest triggering the application of the Regulation six months later. The
European requirements are therefore likely to come into effect before the Hong
Kong Convention.
The E.U. Ship Recycling
Regulation offers a positive opportunity to build up an effective international
regime both in terms of safety, health and environmental impacts. In this view,
the E.U. list of approved recycling facilities plays a strategic role in
motivating recycling yards all over the world to become compliant with the
international requirements as they want to be included in the list. As a consequence this will help swift
entering into force of the Hong Kong Convention.
Ship recycling is an
important industry for sustainable production and supports the developing economies
of several countries. As ship breaking in most developed countries became
economically non-viable in the 1950s, low-cost Asian countries began to
dominate the industry. In recent years, over 90 percent of ships have been
demolished in the global ship breaking centers of India, Bangladesh, China and
Pakistan.
Ship recycling – complete or
partial dismantling of a ship enabling the re-use of valuable materials. The
materials of the ships, especially steel, are recycled and made into new
products. Any re-usable equipment, electrical devices and other items on board
are also recycled. Even many hazardous wastes can be recycled into new products
such as lead-acid batteries and electronic circuit boards. In this way, ship
recycling is a notable part of the circular economy, keeping resources at use
for as long as possible and minimizing waste.
Source: maritime-executive.
25 August 2017
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