EU
Commission presents EU strategy for safer ship dismantling
NOV, 20.2008
The European Commission today presented an EU strategy to make the dismantling of old ships safer for workers and the environment. Every year between 200 and 600 large merchant ships are taken apart for their valuable scrap metal. Many ships taken out of service in Europe end up being dismantled on beaches in South Asia.
A lack of environmental protection and safety measures results in high accident rates, health risks and extensive pollution of wide stretches of the coast. The proposed strategy on better ship dismantling includes actions to help implement key elements of an international Convention on safe ship recycling, due to be concluded in May 2009. It also proposes measures to encourage voluntary action by the shipping industry and better enforcement of current EU waste shipment law.
The number of dismantling sites in the European Union has fallen over the last 20 years and there is no longer sufficient capacity to process the large merchant fleets operating under EU flags or owned by companies in the EU.
Today ship dismantling takes place largely in South Asia – mainly in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. The industry provides thousands of jobs, but health and safety conditions are poor. Older ships contain many hazardous materials, including asbestos, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and large quantities of oil.
The EU strategy proposes (before the entry into force of the IMO Convention) a number of measures and among these, technical assistance and support to developing countries for safety training programmes and basic infrastructure for environmental and health protection and the establishing of a mandatory international funding system for clean ship dismantling .
THE IMO
The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) is preparing an international convention on safe ship recycling, which will be globally binding. The Convention aims to provide a comprehensive system of control and enforcement “from cradle to grave” and relies in particular on the survey and certification of ships and the authorisation of ship recycling facilities. Although final negotiations are due to be completed in May 2009, the IMO Convention is not expected to enter into force before 2015.
