EC releases list of approved ship recycling facilities in Europe
The European Commission (EC) has adopted the first version of the European List of ship recycling facilities. The first 18 shipyards included in the list are all located in the European Union.
According to the EC, all 18 shipyards fulfill the strict requirements for inclusion in the list and as a result will have exclusive access to the recycling of ships flying the flags of Member States of the European Union.
Additionally, the EC has received applications from a number of ship recycling yards located in third countries. The applications from these locations are being reviewed and site inspections will be conducted to check their credentials. The EC says that it will decide in 2017 on their inclusion in the list.
“I congratulate the 18 European companies which have made it on the European List of ship recycling facilities. The list sends a clear signal that there is business and employment in safe and environmentally sound ship recycling, starting in Europe. With the list we close the loop for the European naval industry: These ships were often designed and built in Europe; we can take care of them at the end of their life too – in a respectful way,” says Karmenu Vella, the EC’s Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.
Adopted in 2013, the EU Ship Recycling Regulation requires all vessels sailing under an EU member state flag to use an approved ship recycling facility.
From a date set in the regulation to fall between mid-2017 and December 31, 2018, large commercial seagoing vessels flying the flag of an EU member state may be recycled only in safe and sound ship recycling facilities included in the European List of ship recycling facilities.
Along with the first version of the European List, the commission has adopted four further acts to implement the Ship Recycling Regulation, to provide information on hazardous materials in ships and facilitate the recycling process.
The regulation obliges all ships visiting European ports – irrespective of the flag they fly – to carry on board an inventory of hazardous materials from the end of 2020 onwards. The measure is expected to improve sourcing of quality ship parts globally and benefit European shipbuilding yards, according to the EC.
Already from the publication of the European List, all EU flagged ships going for dismantling must carry on board an inventory of hazardous materials.
The full legal act establishing the first version of the European List can be found by clicking here.
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Source: Recycling Today Global Edition
