During the 2019 SAFETY4SEA London Forum, Mr. Andrew Stephens, Executive Director, Sustainable Shipping Initiative, presented the Ship Recycling Transparency Initiative (SRTI).
The intent of the Ship Recycling Transparency Initiative was launched in March 2018 and consists of members from the SSI and of others outside the SSI.
We’re focused on social, environmental and economic sustainability of the shipping industry.
The initiative is about going beyond regulation in the absence of the Hong Kong convention being entered into force, concerning the safe and environmentally sound recycling of ships.
Shipowners, financial stakeholders, cargo owners and other interested stakeholders, such as Classification Societies have come together to bring this initiative forward to focus on responsible and sustainable ship recycling principles and practices.
It is neither a ratings nor a standard based initiative. It’s about doing the right things right.
Our vision is of a world where ships are recycled responsibly –socially, environmentally and economically -meeting and going beyond international conventions and norms.
The Ship Recycling Transparency Initiative (SRTI) aims to accelerate a voluntary market driven approach to responsible ship recycling practices through transparency; and subsequently to influence and improve the decision making about ship recycling, creating an supporting an industry-wide level playing field.
Transparency is the key word here, as is voluntary. There is no regulation binding members to disclose; shipowners are voluntarily disclosing their policy, practice and performance in the area of the ship recycling.
More transparency will:
- raise the profile of ship recycling
- increase pressure on under performers
- Protect interests of industry stakeholders
- Help drive the growth of responsible recycling options
- improve transparency in the ship recycling value chain
- increase disclosure of ship recycling policies and practices
- enable and encourage cargo owners, investors and other stakeholders to make informed decisions when using shipping companies and to drive improvements
- create a level playing field for ship owners on ship recycling, covering the lifespan of a ship.
The demand side pressure of investors, lenders, cargo owners and civil society is focusing very much on the shipowner , who is the one that has the challenge to make sure this is done in a responsible way, where substance over form prevails and holds the industry to account.
The ship recycling facilities are in some parts of the world 90% of the ship recycling is done in South Asia, mainly India, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
In India there are over 70 shipyards that have been awarded statements of the compliant issued by Class Societies in accordance with the Hong Kong Convention.
Japan are supporting investments made by the Alang shipyards, with an ODA loan of USD 80 million in order to upgrade infrastructure, etc and to make sure that ships are dismantled on impermeable blocks, rather than on the beach. Also, they are making sure that the workers are properly trained, wearing protective safety equipment and do this in a responsible way.
We all have the same ultimate goals, it’s all about doing it in a responsible way.
The shipowners are asked to disclose, signing up their policy, practice and performance.
The six areas are:
- Ship recycling policies and practices
- Ship recycling contract
- Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM) and ship specific documentation
- Policy for selling off owned vessels
- Implementation of policies and practices
- Policy for recycling chartered vessels and those within JVs
And as I said the Initiative is based on:
- voluntary disclosure
- data signed off by senior management
- stakeholders being able toscrutinize the disclosed data and hold the industry to account.
Disclosing Shipowners currently are:
The China Navigation Company, Hapag Lloyd ,A.P. Moeller-Maersk, Norden, Stolt Tankers, Swire Pacific Offshore, Teekay, Wallenius Wilhelmsen
Above text is an edited version of Mr. Andrew Stephen’s presentation during the 2019 SAFETY4SEA London Conference.
You may view his presentation herebelow
The views presented hereabove are only those of the author and not necessarily those of SAFETY4SEA and are for information sharing and discussion purposes only.
