EU Regulates Ship Recycling
Towards cleaner scrapping of old ships Plans to clean up the scrapping of old ships and ensure the materials are recycled in EU-approved facilities worldwide were revised by the Environment Committee on Tuesday. MEPs propose that the scheme be funded by a recycling levy, in line with the "polluter pays" principle. Owners of EU ships would also face penalties if they sold them for scrapping on a beach in developing countries.The draft regulation aims to reduce the adverse effects of careless scrapping, such as accidents, injuries or damage to human health or the environment, by ensuring that EU ships, and non-EU ships that have called regularly at EU ports, are scrapped in EU-approved facilities worldwide. An EU fund, to be financed by levies on all ships visiting EU ports, would make scrapping ships in EU-approved facilities competitive."Today's vote will hopefully put an end to EU ships being recklessly scrapped in developing countries. Currently, most EU ships are sent to South-East Asia at the end of their lives, where they are beached and their hazardous materials harm human health and the environment", said Carl Schlyter (Greens/EFA, SE) who is steering the legislation through Parliament."MEPs have today voted by a very large ...
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