Subscribe to our Mailing Lists (It's free!)
Wednesday, November 29, 2023
SAFETY4SEA
  • Home
  • Safety
    • All
    • Accidents
    • Alerts
    • Loss Prevention
    • Maritime Health
    • Regulation
    • Safety
    • Seafarers
    • Security
    Security concerns for ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden

    ICS calls for maximum security in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden

    Irania drone attacks

    Iranian drone attacks container ship in Indian Ocean

    wave power

    NorthStandard offers insurance against adverse weather

    How to prepare a pre-stow plan: Key considerations

    How to prepare a pre-stow plan: Key considerations

  • SEAFiT
    • All
    • Intellectual
    • Mental
    • Physical
    • Social
    • Spiritual
    Prediabetes is a serious health condition: What you need to know

    Prediabetes is a serious health condition: What you need to know

    Stay SEAFiT: Why Musculoskeletal Health matters

    Stay SEAFiT: Why Musculoskeletal Health matters

    Book Review: A role model for ship managers

    Book Review: How technology will transform the work of human experts

    Why we should start talking about mentoring in shipping

    Why we should start talking about mentoring in shipping

  • Green
    • All
    • Arctic
    • Ballast
    • Emissions
    • Fuels
    • Green Shipping
    • Pollution
    • Ship Recycling
    • Technology
    four cargo vessels

    Two parties join forces to build four hydrogen-powered general cargo vessels

    first newbuild project

    LR to class first mid-size low pressure ammonia-ready LCO2 Carriers

    Liquefied CO2 transport vessel christened in Japan

    Liquefied CO2 transport vessel christened in Japan

    ai fuel model

    WinGD’s VCR technology to debut on NYK Line’s LNG-powered vessels

  • Smart
    • All
    • Connectivity
    • Cyber Security
    • E-navigation
    • Energy Efficiency
    • Maritime Software
    • Smart
    K Line tests Autonomous navigation onboard RORO

    Autonomous navigation system successfully tested onboard RORO

    pil cargo screening tool

    Danelec expands maritime digitalization with Nautilus Labs’ AI technology platform

    carnival cyber security

    Swedish Club to offer cyber security insurance from 2024

    Shortlisted nominees announced for the 2024 SMART4SEA Awards

    Shortlisted nominees announced for the 2024 SMART4SEA Awards

  • Risk
    • All
    • CIC
    • Detentions
    • Fines
    • PSC Case Studies
    • PSC Focus
    • Vetting
    Port,Alma,,Australia

    AMSA bans third ship from poor-performing operator

    malaysia detains tanker

    UK MCA: Foreign flagged ships detained in the UK during October 2023

    Zhuhai, China

    PSC Case Study : MR Tanker Detention in Zhuhai, China

    Malaysia detains

    Britannia: Increase in detentions in Off Port Limit areas due to unauthorized anchoring

  • Others
    • All
    • Diversity in shipping
    • Maritime Knowledge
    • Offshore
    • Ports
    • Reports
    • Shipping
    • Sustainability
    • Videos
    Panama Canal

    Panama Canal introduces auction to expedite transit for delayed vessels amid drought

    windmill turbine blabes

    IMCA introduces contract on T&I works in offshore wind projects

    Maersk to wind down operation in Syria

    Maersk announces formal wind down of operations in Syria

    OceanPal invests in methanol-ready chemical tankers

    BIMCO Outlook on Tankers: Growing oil market imbalances drive tanker improvements

  • Columns
    How to prepare a pre-stow plan: Key considerations

    How to prepare a pre-stow plan: Key considerations

    seafarers wellness

    Seafarers’ Wages Act: Considerations for operators and harbour authorities

    Career Paths: Linette Casey, Siemens Energy

    Career Paths: Li Chen, Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation

    Trending Tags

    • Book Review
    • Career Paths
    • Industry Voices
    • Interviews
    • Maripedia
    • Maritime History
    • Resilience
    • Seafarers Stories
    • SeaSense
    • Wellness Corner
  • Events
  • Plus
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Safety
    • All
    • Accidents
    • Alerts
    • Loss Prevention
    • Maritime Health
    • Regulation
    • Safety
    • Seafarers
    • Security
    Security concerns for ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden

    ICS calls for maximum security in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden

    Irania drone attacks

    Iranian drone attacks container ship in Indian Ocean

    wave power

    NorthStandard offers insurance against adverse weather

    How to prepare a pre-stow plan: Key considerations

    How to prepare a pre-stow plan: Key considerations

  • SEAFiT
    • All
    • Intellectual
    • Mental
    • Physical
    • Social
    • Spiritual
    Prediabetes is a serious health condition: What you need to know

    Prediabetes is a serious health condition: What you need to know

    Stay SEAFiT: Why Musculoskeletal Health matters

    Stay SEAFiT: Why Musculoskeletal Health matters

    Book Review: A role model for ship managers

    Book Review: How technology will transform the work of human experts

    Why we should start talking about mentoring in shipping

    Why we should start talking about mentoring in shipping

  • Green
    • All
    • Arctic
    • Ballast
    • Emissions
    • Fuels
    • Green Shipping
    • Pollution
    • Ship Recycling
    • Technology
    four cargo vessels

    Two parties join forces to build four hydrogen-powered general cargo vessels

    first newbuild project

    LR to class first mid-size low pressure ammonia-ready LCO2 Carriers

    Liquefied CO2 transport vessel christened in Japan

    Liquefied CO2 transport vessel christened in Japan

    ai fuel model

    WinGD’s VCR technology to debut on NYK Line’s LNG-powered vessels

  • Smart
    • All
    • Connectivity
    • Cyber Security
    • E-navigation
    • Energy Efficiency
    • Maritime Software
    • Smart
    K Line tests Autonomous navigation onboard RORO

    Autonomous navigation system successfully tested onboard RORO

    pil cargo screening tool

    Danelec expands maritime digitalization with Nautilus Labs’ AI technology platform

    carnival cyber security

    Swedish Club to offer cyber security insurance from 2024

    Shortlisted nominees announced for the 2024 SMART4SEA Awards

    Shortlisted nominees announced for the 2024 SMART4SEA Awards

  • Risk
    • All
    • CIC
    • Detentions
    • Fines
    • PSC Case Studies
    • PSC Focus
    • Vetting
    Port,Alma,,Australia

    AMSA bans third ship from poor-performing operator

    malaysia detains tanker

    UK MCA: Foreign flagged ships detained in the UK during October 2023

    Zhuhai, China

    PSC Case Study : MR Tanker Detention in Zhuhai, China

    Malaysia detains

    Britannia: Increase in detentions in Off Port Limit areas due to unauthorized anchoring

  • Others
    • All
    • Diversity in shipping
    • Maritime Knowledge
    • Offshore
    • Ports
    • Reports
    • Shipping
    • Sustainability
    • Videos
    Panama Canal

    Panama Canal introduces auction to expedite transit for delayed vessels amid drought

    windmill turbine blabes

    IMCA introduces contract on T&I works in offshore wind projects

    Maersk to wind down operation in Syria

    Maersk announces formal wind down of operations in Syria

    OceanPal invests in methanol-ready chemical tankers

    BIMCO Outlook on Tankers: Growing oil market imbalances drive tanker improvements

  • Columns
    How to prepare a pre-stow plan: Key considerations

    How to prepare a pre-stow plan: Key considerations

    seafarers wellness

    Seafarers’ Wages Act: Considerations for operators and harbour authorities

    Career Paths: Linette Casey, Siemens Energy

    Career Paths: Li Chen, Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation

    Trending Tags

    • Book Review
    • Career Paths
    • Industry Voices
    • Interviews
    • Maripedia
    • Maritime History
    • Resilience
    • Seafarers Stories
    • SeaSense
    • Wellness Corner
  • Events
  • Plus
No Result
View All Result
SAFETY4SEA

Grieg Green: It’s time to shed our focus on workers’ rights at ship recycling facilities

Interview with Pia Meling, Managing Director of Grieg Green

by Pia Meling
November 14, 2022
in Opinions, Ship Recycling
Grieg Green: It’s time to shed our focus on workers’ rights at ship recycling facilities

Image Credit: Shutterstock

FacebookTwitterEmailLinkedin

In an exclusive interview to SAFETY4SEA, Mrs Pia Meling, who is currently the new Managing Director of Grieg Green, shares her perspectives on how to push sustainable ship recycling higher on industry’s agenda, highlighting that as well as we have opened our eyes towards seafarer wellbeing and rights, now it’s time to tackle with working conditions at ship recycling facilities.

Doing ship recycling in a sustainable way has a cost, Mrs Meling notes and suggests to show willingness to pay that cost and take action, driven by increasing transparency and ESG focus. Moving forward to sustainable recycling, industry stakeholders need to ensure competent onsite supervision at the yard and request full transparency of the recycling process.

SAFETY4SEA: What are your top priorities in the agenda taking the helm as Managing Director of Grieg Green?

Pia Meling: We want to push sustainable ship recycling higher on the agenda for shipowners, charterers, banks, capital markets and insurance providers.  And, of course, we plan to grow and expand on Grieg Green’s service offering.

RelatedNews

GMS: Sub continent pricing and sentiments remain stranded in the low

DSG: Diversity and good leadership in shipping go hand in hand

S4S: What are the key industry’s challenges with regards to ship recycling up to 2030 from your perspective?

P.M.: Number one is insufficient regulation. The Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships (adopted in 2009) needs to be ratified by IMO and its provisions are inadequate. EU implemented its Ship Recycling Regulation in 2018. It states that EU-flagged commercial vessels must be recycled in safe and environmentally sound ship recycling facilities that are included on the European List of approved ship recycling facilities. However, this list currently contains no ship recycling facilities in Asia (only in EU, a few in Türkiye and one in the US). Still, most of the world’s tonnage is recycled in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. It is doubtful that there will be sufficient recycling capacity at the EU-listed facilities when many vessels, rigs and platforms reach their end of life over the next years.

Ship recycling is an important industry for India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, creating jobs and providing scrap steel that these countries need as a resource in other sectors. Therefore, the willingness to pay for vessel recycling in southern Asia is higher than in Türkiye, and the EU and the shipowner make more money on the transaction when selling the vessel for decommissioning. Few shipowners are willing to go for the lower price obtained in Türkiye (or the much lower price obtained in the EU) unless required to do so. The key challenge for the shipping industry is to ensure safe and environmentally sound ship recycling for the large number of end-of-life assets up to 2030. The industry needs adequate recycling facilities located both in Asia and in Europe – and the facilities must follow the regulations, and the intention behind the regulations, every day and in all situations.

S4S: Which are the key barriers towards sustainable ship recycling and how could the industry overcome them?

P.M.: Doing ship recycling in a sustainable way has a cost. There is, however, little willingness to pay for a higher ship recycling standard amongst most shipowners today, and the regulations are easily evaded. EU-flagged vessels can change flag as they approach end of life or be sold to non-EU-flagged owners in the secondhand market. A tighter and more enforced regulation is required. The willingness to pay can also be accelerated by charterers, banks, and capital markets if sustainable ship recycling is part of the term sheet when awarding contracts and funding. A joint industry action, driven by increasing transparency and ESG focus, will help overcome the key barrier of willingness to pay for safe and environmentally sound ship recycling. Long term, more automated recycling processes will help increase safety and reduce cost, making European ship recycling facilities more competitive.

S4S: How would you describe the overall situation at shipbreaking yards? What needs to be done immediately for an improvement?

P.M.: The quality of the individual recycling facilities varies greatly – both in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, within the EU and Türkiye. The best facilities in India are better than many facilities in Türkiye but are still not on the EU list, mainly due to lacking shared infrastructure like a nearby hospital with sufficient capacity and approved national waste management facilities. Many yards in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh need to invest in better infrastructure and improved processes like management and monitoring systems, emergency preparedness and response, occupational safety, health management etc. This naturally comes at a cost. If some of the recycling facilities in India that have invested heavily in infrastructure and improvements are accepted on the EU list it would signal that such investments pay off, and that would be a first step in the right direction.

S4S: What are the key factors in better protecting worker’s human, labor and social rights at ship breaking yards?

P.M.: Workers organizing in a local labor union is helpful. Still, shipowners requiring transparency on the “S” in the ESG is a prerequisite for improvements. Suppose the steel mills (buyers of scrap steel) would start asking about the conditions under which the steel has been cut and dismantled. In that case, we could start an industry movement towards better working conditions. As elaborated in the next question, Grieg Green has trained onsite supervisors who ensure the yards recycle the ship in accordance with the pre-approved ship recycling plan, which includes workers’ rights and safety.

S4S: How likely is that the current situation in the existing shipbreaking yards will change? What does your organization do towards that issue?

P.M.: I believe the situation is gradually improving, and Grieg Green’s purpose is to accelerate that improvement. Drawing on more than a decade of experience, we visit and audit ship recycling facilities at our own cost and advise our customer (ship/rig owner) on where to recycle their assets. We assist with regulatory guidance, contract management, IHM and asbestos surveys/removal. Most importantly, we have trained site supervisors present at the facility during the entire recycling process.  They have the authority to stop work if they observe unsafe practices.  The supervisors train and guide the yard crew in safety measures and environmental protection, they document and photograph everything from the start until the project is finalized, and the hazardous materials are disposed of correctly. Our supervised projects are mainly taking place in India, Türkiye and in the EU. We see that being present at the site is invaluable and our presence has prevented many accidents and incidents.

S4S: What should be the top industry’s priorities in relation to ESG performance and Sustainable Shipping?

P.M.: The whole shipping industry is scrambling for decarbonization solutions, and the entire focus appears to be on cutting CO2 emissions during vessel operations. Upcoming regulations like CII (Carbon Intensity Indicator), Annual Efficiency Ratio (AER) and Energy Efficiency Operational Index (EEOI) will accelerate a two-tier market where the oldest and most polluting vessels will struggle to find employment in the market. We need to minimize the footprint of these vessels as they end their life. There is potential for a higher degree of recycling and perhaps even upcycling, repurposing or re-use of parts and equipment onboard these vessels. Green steel, produced at steel plants using renewable energy sources, will be a sought-after input to many products, and green recycled steel should be even more attractive from an environmental point of view.  Now it’s time to think about our entire shipping footprint – not only ship operation but also shipbuilding, repair, and recycling.  Also, the “S” in ESG must be brought more into the light. The social effects of our industry are often hidden. During Covid, we thankfully opened our eyes towards seafarer wellbeing and rights. There was a global movement to recognize seafarers as key workers and give them priority access to Covid-19 vaccines. The workers at the ship recycling facilities also deserve our attention. Their working conditions are often much worse than for those onboard the ship.

S4S: In your view, has the industry been successful in addressing ship recycling issues? What should be the next steps?

P.M.: Ship recycling is still a “dark side” of shipping. We need to shed light on this industry and create joint industry actions to improve. The key is a willingness to pay for safer and more environmentally friendly recycling.

S4S: If you could change one thing across the industry from your perspective, what this would be and why?

P.M.: Increased transparency! Both ship operators, scrap steel buyers and recycling facilities should be transparent about their practices. That would gradually lead to a change for the better.

S4S: What is your key message to ship operators for ensuring the safe and sustainable ship recycling activities?

P.M.: You need to have competent onsite supervision at the yard and request full transparency of the recycling process if you want to ensure safe and sustainable ship recycling activities. No shipowner has newbuild, repair or drydocking projects without site supervision. You also need to care for and monitor your recycling projects.

 

The views presented hereabove are only those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of  SAFETY4SEA and are for information sharing and discussion  purposes only.

Grieg Green: It’s time to shed our focus on workers’ rights at ship recycling facilities
Grieg Green: It’s time to shed our focus on workers’ rights at ship recycling facilities
Tags: better working environmentESGhuman rightsInterviewsship- recyclingsustainabilitytransparency
Previous Post

Philippines approves offshore wind power, green hydrogen development plans

Next Post

Russia bans foreign ships from sailing into Sea of Azov

Pia Meling

Pia Meling

Grieg Green is a world-leading ship recycling and sustainability services company based in Oslo, Norway. For over a decade, Grieg Green has focused on helping customers achieve sustainable end-of-life for their vessels and rigs. Pia Meling has broad management experience from shipping and the maritime industry; both within chartering and commercial management of vessels at the leading dry bulk operator Klaveness, as the General Manager of Nav/Com service provider Radio Holland, the Marketing & Communications Manager for scrubber manufacturer Clean Marine, as Area Sales Director for Marine Products in Wilhelmsen Ships Service, and as Vice President Sales and Marketing at Massterly, a pioneering operator of zero emission, autonomous vessels. Pia serves on various boards: TECO 2030 ASA (a maritime engineering company with focus on a cleaner environment), logistics provider Westport AS, Singapore-Norway Chamber of Commerce and she is also a member of the Ocean portfolio board in The Research Council of Norway. Meling holds an MBA from the Norwegian School of Economics.

Related News

Stay SEAFiT: Why Musculoskeletal Health matters
Maritime Health

Stay SEAFiT: Why Musculoskeletal Health matters

November 27, 2023
IMO glossary
Fuels

IMO: Launch of free glossary to enhance understanding of life cycle assessments

November 24, 2023
Why we should start talking about mentoring in shipping
Intellectual

Why we should start talking about mentoring in shipping

November 23, 2023
Mentoring vs Coaching: Breaking down the difference
Intellectual

Mentoring vs Coaching: Breaking down the difference

November 23, 2023
Gerdes Green receives German government subsidy for green innovations
Green Shipping

Gerdes Green receives German government subsidy for green innovations

November 23, 2023
ships dismantled
Ship Recycling

NGO Shipbreaking Platform: 111 ships were dismantled from July to September 2023

November 22, 2023

Comments 1

  1. Jonathan says:
    1 year ago

    What if yards would just do it the right way because they feel that it is the only way. Not because someone is watching over their shoulder, or only because they can pay 50 dollars less per LDT. The problem is that actual green recycling is not embedded in the culture of the SE Asian yards, which will always be a problem. Other regions must be onboarded to provide an alternative to EU (on a cost level) and SE Asia (on a quality level).

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Explore more

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

Shortlisted nominees announced for the 2024 SMART4SEA Awards

Shortlisted nominees announced for the 2024 SMART4SEA Awards

November 23, 2023
singapore border measures

Do you know what GT and DWT measure in a ship?

November 10, 2021
MARITIME EVENTS

Explore

  • Safety
  • SEAFiT
  • Green
  • Smart
  • Risk
  • Others
  • SAFETY4SEA Events
  • SAFETY4SEA Plus Subscription

Useful Links

  • About
  • Disclaimer
  • Editorial Policies
  • Advertising
  • Content Marketing
  • Contact

© 2021 SAFETY4SEA

No Result
View All Result
  • Safety
    • Accidents
    • Alerts
    • Loss Prevention
    • Maritime Health
    • Regulation
    • Safety
    • Seafarers
    • Security
  • SEAFiT
    • Intellectual
    • Mental
    • Physical
    • Social
    • Spiritual
  • Green
    • Arctic
    • Ballast
    • Emissions
    • Fuels
    • Green Shipping
    • Pollution
    • Ship Recycling
    • Technology
  • Smart
    • Connectivity
    • Cyber Security
    • E-navigation
    • Energy Efficiency
    • Maritime Software
    • Smart
  • Risk
    • CIC
    • Detentions
    • Fines
    • PSC Case Studies
    • PSC Focus
    • Vetting
  • Others
    • Diversity in shipping
    • Maritime Knowledge
    • Offshore
    • Ports
    • Reports
    • Shipping
    • Sustainability
    • Videos
  • Columns
    • Opinions
    • Book Review
    • Career Paths
    • Industry Voices
    • Interviews
    • Maripedia
    • Maritime History
    • Resilience
    • Seafarers Stories
    • SeaSense
    • Wellness Corner
  • SAFETY4SEA Events
  • SAFETY4SEA Plus Subscription

© 2021 SAFETY4SEA

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Disclaimer.