The US now havs a shipyard capable of recycling ships according to European Union standards. Namely, International Shipbreaking received EU Ship Recycling Regulation (EU SSR) accreditation for its site in Brownsville, Texas.
According to the shipyar, it has invested $30m in compliant infrastructure to gain the accreditation.
Commenting on the development, Chris Green, senior manager at International Shipbreaking, said that there is a big future in this industry and, over the past year there have been three times the number of inquiries from EU shipowners. This shows that shipping is taking more responsibility for how their ships are recycled.
Starting from 31 December 2020, ships above 500 GT and flying the flag of an EU/EEA member state, or third-party flagged vessels calling at European ports, must carry an Inventory Hazardous Materials (IHM) certificate on board.
With the EU SRR entering into force on 31 December 2018, ships and shipowners must keep in mind one crucial feature of the regulation: the IHM (Inventory Hazardous Material).
Namely, new vessels carrying the flag of an EU member state must have on board a certified IHM (Inventory Hazardous Material) starting 31 December 2018. As DNV GL explains, this means that ships with building contracts signed after this date, must have the IHM certificate in the specifications.
In addition, for vessels in operation and flying the flag of an EU member state, the certified IHM will be required from 31 December 2020.
