New European Union regulations have reduced the number of shipyards available for the recycling of large sea-going vessels, in a bid to make the practice safer and more sustainable.
From 31 December 2018, larger ships sailing under an EU flag can only be recycled in the 26 yards specified in the European list of ship recycling facilities. Most are located in the EU with a few in Turkey and the US.
European ship owners own 35 per cent of the world’s fleet and a large percentage of this is currently being dismantled in South Asia, under conditions thought to be harmful to workers’ health and the environment.
‘No longer acceptable’
Whilst visiting a ship recycling yard in Ghent in Belgium, Karmenu Vella, EU Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, said that it was no longer acceptable for EU vessels to be dismantled in poor environmental and social conditions.
“The full entry into force of the EU regulation on ship recycling is a milestone for this sector, as it provides for the first time clear and specific rules on how EU-flagged vessels should be recycled,” he said.
“Like other recycling activities, ship recycling can be carried out sustainably, in a way which is good for workers, the environment and the economy. This is what is happening at the Ghent ship recycling yard and this is what the EU aims at. We count on all actors in the sector to work constructively with us to make it happen”.
The EU Ship Recycling Regulation was adopted in 2013 and aims to reduce the negative impacts linked to the recycling of ships flying the flag of EU member states.
