Tag: NGO ShipBreaking Platform

The way forward for a safe ship recycling industry Shipbreaking the dismantling of vessels for the recovery of steel and other materials mainly takes place in developing countries. India, Bangladesh and Pakistan dismantle more than two thirds of all end-of-life vessels sent each year for breaking globally. Shipbreaking is a hazardous industry both for the workers and for the environment and adequate technologies for dismantling and the management of hazardous wastes need to be used, stringent procedures followed and labour rights enforced. End-of-life vessels are considered as hazardous waste under international environmental law when they contain toxic materials such as asbestos, heavy metals, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), and organotins like tributyltin (TBT). These hazardous materials are structurally part of the vessels and are found, for example, in the engines. So far, there are no green ships built without any hazardous material.Today, shipbreaking in South Asia is still taking place at the cost of environmental destruction and severe health risks for the workers and the local population who are exposed to this hazardous industry. In 2012, ship owners sold 8506 end-of-life vessels for scrapping in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Beaching, the method currently used in South Asia, makes it ...

The car carrier GLOBAL SPIRITwas allowed to leave the port of Antwerp for recycling in Turkey, a destination allowed under European waste law

In 2013 out of a total of 1213 vessels dismantled around the world 645 ships ended their operational life on the beaches of India, Bangladesh and Pakistan

The Flemish Environment Ministry has seized the end-of-life car carrier GLOBAL SPIRIT

The NGO Platform on Shipbreaking, a coalition of environmental, human rights and labour organisations, sent a letter to the Flemish Environment Ministry Monday

The NGO Shipbreaking Platform, is urging the shipping industry to stop selling their end-of-life ships to the shipbreaking beaches of South Asia and instead demand sustainable and safe ship recycling in modern facilities.

The NGO Shipbreaking Platform, has sent a letter to the Italian Environment minister to demand the safe and clean dismantling of the wrecked cruise ship Costa Concordia in accordance with Italian law and European law, particularly the EU Waste Framework Directive and the EU Ship Recycling Regulation.

The NGO Shipbreaking Platform, a global coalition of 19 environmental, human rights and labour rights organisations working to prevent dangerous and polluting shipbreaking worldwide

The NGO Shipbreaking Platform and its 18 member organisations around the world applaud the Forest Department and the District Administration for removing two shipbreaking yards that had been operating illegally on protected forest land for several years in Chittagong,

German and Greek Shipping Companies amongst the world's worst The NGO Shipbreaking Platform, a global coalition of organisations seeking to prevent dirty and dangerous shipbreaking practices worldwide, published the complete list of ships that were dismantled around in the world in 2013.Of the 1213 large ocean-going vessels that were scrapped in 2013, 645 were sold to substandard beaching facilities in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh . Approximately 40% of these ships were EU-owned. The new EU regulation on ship recycling entered into force on 30 December 2013. However, unless an economic incentive is added to it, the registration of European ships under flags of convenience will allow ship owners to sail around the new regulation and continue dumping their toxic ships in substandard facilities.End-of-life vessels contain toxic materials such as asbestos, heavy metals, PCBs and organic waste within their structures. South Asia has become a preferred dumping ground as environmental, safety and labour rights standards are poorly enforced there. Ship owners are able to sell their ships to the beach breakers for considerably greater profit than if they were sold to clean and safe recycling facilities."Whereas the number of dismantled ships remained nearly as high as in 2012, the number of ...