1. Marine Environmental Awareness Course
Ship recycling
Name • Date

2. Ship recycling Contents A lucrative business The beaching method
Social effects
Ecological effects
Role of shipping 2
Photo credits: - Marine Photobank/ Green Award Foundation

3. 1. A lucrative business Some facts and figures:
Life expectancy of years
Ships are huge
Every year about 800 ships are scrapped
Up to 97% of all the ship’s material is re-used
Steel can be reprocessed
Copper, aluminum and stainless steel are valuable

4. 1. A lucrative business Many shipping companies use ‘cash buyers’
Hazardous and toxic materials onboard:
Oil
Sludge
Paints
PCB’s
PVC’s
Asbestos
Photo credits: ProSea

5. Majority of ships are dismantled in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh
Cheap labor
Few domestic sources for steel
cold re-rolling of steel and ‘beaching’ is allowed
Source graphs: The Internet Ships Register

6. 2. The beaching method Ships grounded at high tide
Dismantled by hand in uncontrolled and dangerous circumstances
No pollution prevention, no waste reception or treatment
Photo credits: Wahid Adnan, Marine Photobank / Marine Photobank

7. 3. Social impacts One of the most dangerous jobs in the world (ILO):
No protective clothing
No heavy machinery
No training
Many hazardous materials
Some impacts:
Asbestosis (In Aland – 1 out of 6)
Lung cancer
Regular accidents (injuries, death)
Child labour
Photo credits: YSPA 2009 / unknown

8. Photo credits: YSPA 2009

9. Photo credits: YSPA 2009

10. 4. Ecological impacts No appropriate waste disposal:
Holes drilled in ship to drain liquids is common practice
Oil and sludge seep away in soft coastal sediments
Large coastal areas turn into barren fields
Phytoplankton, fish stocks and groundwater are effected
Photo credits: Wahid Adnan – Marine Photobank

11. Ship recycling Contents A lucrative business The beaching method
Social impacts
Ecological impacts
Role of shipping 11
Photo credits: - Marine Photobank/ Green Award Foundation

12. The Hong Kong International Convention for the safe and environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships
May 2009
Guidelines for human and environmental friendly recycling of ships.
Key aspects:
Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM)
‘Ship Recycling Plan’
A ‘pre-recycling inspection’ for all ships
Will enter into force 24 months after at least 15 states, representing at least 40 % of world tonnage, have ratified
Convention signed by 67 countries, not ratified by any country yet (in August 2012)

13. Solutions: recycling under controlled circumstances
for example: Maersk shipping
Photo credits: MAERSK / North Sea Foundation

14. Questions?