The Sustainable Shipping Initiative is holding its second roundtable with key industry stakeholders to discuss the challenges and barriers to achieving sustainable ship recycling, and how they can be overcome. Improving the health, safety and environmental standards associated with ship recycling is a key SSI work stream, and an important element of the SSI’s recently launched Roadmap, which charts the key milestones which must be met to create a sustainable shipping industry by 2040.
Held under Chatham House rules, participants include members of the SSI, as well as representatives from regulatory bodies, ship owners, ship breaking and ship recycling companies, as well as NGOs, industry bodies and class societies; key stakeholders from across the value chain who are central to developing sustainable standards within ship recycling.
“This forum is an example of how the SSI and its members are working together with the industry to help facilitate understanding and change in key areas that will further shipping’s progress towards sustainability,” said Alastair Fischbacher, CEO, the Sustainable Shipping Initiative.
“Ship recycling is a critical part of the shipping lifecycle, but also one of the industry’s most contentious and complex issues, with diverse opinions on what should be done to improve its sustainability. Our forum has been designed to stimulate open, and transparent debate, so that we can work with the industry to find consensus and common ground to develop tangible plans that can be put into action.”
While the Hong Kong Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships (HKC) is yet to be formally ratified, several yards in Alang, India, have received accreditation with the standards of the HKC, which is a positive step. However, this is a foundation to develop from, and significant progress needs to be made in further improving safe, environmentally and socially responsible ship recycling. The SSI is looking to encourage and support sustainable ship recycling, which incorporates not only the requirements of the HKC but also social best practice, environmental compliance and health and safety standards which meet member and external scrutiny.
Alastair Fischbacher concluded:“We are hopeful that progress will be made, and that we can build on the momentum from 2015. We look forward to working with our members, as well as those within the industry who are committed to developing sustainable ship recycling practices. These kind of initiatives espouse what the SSI was established for, and showcase the commitment and drive of our members in actively engaging and collaborating with the industry to drive change, and achieve our vision of a sustainable shipping industry by 2040.”
Source: Sustainable Shipping Initiative
