Navigare 01-19

news
New regulations for recycling of ships and
moveable installations:
Stepping up the fight
against illegal shipbreaking
A great majority of the large commercial European merchant vessels are
scrapped outside of Europe, frequently under deplorable conditions for
workers and the environment. New regulations that came into force on
1 January this year are intended to ensure that Norwegian vessels are
recycled in an appropriate and environmentally friendly manner.
Werner A. Dagsland, Dept. of Regulations and International Agreements, NMA
It has been well documented that parts of the
Asian shipbreaking industry are fraught with
unacceptable risks to life, health and the
environment. In a country such as Bangladesh,
which according to the Shipbreaking Platform
NGO and Supreme Court Justice Rizwana
Hasan is able to handle no more than 40 per
cent of its own waste, decommissioned
European vessels bring with them numerous
work-related injuries and deaths. In addition,
the practice of recycling ships directly on the
beaches causes a negative environmental
impact.
‘The impression is created that ship
recycling is a vital industry for Bangladesh,’
Hasan told representatives of member states
and the shipping industry in the EEA at a
meeting in Brussels in February this year. ‘And
18 000 jobs also sound like a lot. But a large
proportion of these jobs are seasonal, and in a
country with 180 million inhabitants this is
really not a major industry.’
Many believe that under the prevailing
circumstances, handling the Western world’s
waste costs more than it’s worth. In recent
years, approximately 20 registered deaths
annually have been linked to ship recycling in
Bangladesh.
HOPING FOR GLOBAL CHANGE
Most of us would agree that raising the safety
standards in shipbreaking yards worldwide is a
crucial issue. Considering that the Hong Kong
Convention unfortunately has attracted
insufficient support to enter into force, we can
only hope that the EU directive on recycling
facilities that receive vessels under an EEA flag
both within and outside of Europe will have
ripple effects and bring about improvements
globally.
The new regulations apply to Norwegian
vessels that have a gross tonnage of 500 or
more and are not exclusively engaged in
domestic traffic. A ‘vessel’ is widely defined
and includes fishing vessels, floating and
jack-up oil rigs and submarine vessels. After
31 December this year, new vessels are
required to have on board a valid certificate
for their list of hazardous materials (an IHM
certificate). From 31 December 2020, sailpowered
vessels will also need to have a valid
IHM certificate.
LISTING OF APPROVED SHIP
RECYCLING FACILITIES
For Norwegian vessels encompassed by these
regulations, this means that vessels that will be
finally decommissioned after 31 December this
year can only be recycled in facilities listed in
the so-called EU list of approved ship
recycling facilities. Prior to such recycling, the
ship owner must:
Prepare the vessel for recycling by signing
an agreement with an approved facility
Request and implement a final inspection
Have a recycling certificate issued
From December 2020, vessels other than EEA
vessels that call on ports in the EEA must
carry on board a declaration of compliance
issued by the flag state. The declaration of
compliance must document that the vessel
carries an updated inventory of hazardous
materials on board, and that this inventory has
been prepared in accordance with the material
requirements in the ship recycling directive.
This monitoring of vessels with flags from
outside the EEA will be essential to ensure
competitive conditions for Norwegian vessels
that are as equal as possible to those under
another flag.
THE WASTE DIRECTIVE
For vessels that are not encompassed by these
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