Author: Nicola Mulinaris

Platform publishes South Asia Quarterly Update #44

Posted on by Nicola Mulinaris

In this quarterly publication, the NGO Shipbreaking Platform informs about the shipbreaking industry in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. Providing an overview of accidents that took place on the beaches of South Asia and recent on-the-ground developments, including our activities, we aim to inform the public about the negative impacts of substandard shipbreaking practices as well as positive steps aimed at the realisation of environmental justice and the protection of workers’ rights. 

 

One session in this Update offers an insightful interview with our Indian member organisation Toxics Link.

Click here or on the image below to access the full version of our quarterly report. 

Press Release – Fatal accidents in Aliağa continue to raise serious concerns on Turkish shipbreaking yards’ safety

Posted on by Nicola Mulinaris

In the last four months, Aliağa ship recycling workers have faced three tragic fatal accidents. Despite repeated warnings by civil society organisations, inadequate occupational safety measures, insufficient inspections, and weak enforcement of labour and environmental regulations continue to threaten the lives of workers and cause accidents that could have been prevented. 

Several members of the Turkish Parliament join the NGOs in denouncing the conditions at the shipbreaking yards and call on the European Union to revoke approval of such practices.  

"During meetings we held in Aliağa, almost every worker shared a ‘near-miss’ story. With wages that are below the poverty line, workers are forced to accept constant risk of occupational death. While it is impossible for the Ministry of Labour and Social Security not to be aware of this situation, the responses we receive to our parliamentary questions are limited to ‘copy-and-paste’ reminders of existing legislation. Moreover, although the necessary regulations have not been implemented, EU certifications are still in place. To stop occupational deaths and ensure decent wages, it is imperative that workers trust one another, unite, and act in an organised manner. We will continue to stand by workers’ struggle and to amplify their voices and their fight."
Iskender Bayhan - Member of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey - The Labour Party

On 11 January, Salih Ataman, 49, died at Blade ship recycling yard in Aliağa, Turkey, when a massive hook detached from a crane and fell on him. Salih Ataman was dismantling the Discoverer Americas, a drillship owned by US-based Transocean Ltd.

Last year, another fatal accident occurred on 13 November at the EU-listed Temurtaşlar yard, where the Dolphin Leader, a ship owned by Dolphin Drilling [1], was being dismantled. Unaware that another worker was cutting the hull on the upper section of the vessel, Hasan Aktepe, 44, died when a large cut-off metal piece fell on him. According to the information provided by the workers from Temurtaşlar, the dismantling of the Dolphin Leader was conducted with lump-sum payments where a bonus is provided if the ship is dismantled rapidly. As highlighted in our report on the conditions at the Turkish ship recycling yards, this practice incentivises an increased pace and prolonged working days in violation of set working hours and official leave times

On 2 October, Halil İbrahim Uz, employed by a subcontractor of İzmir Mavi Denizcilik Geri Dönüşüm ship recycling yard, fell from a height of five meters. Workers raised concerns that the ambulance took at least 45 minutes to arrive. Despite eventual medical intervention, Uz’s life could not be saved. He was 45 years old, married, and had children. 

These recent fatal accidents clearly show that Aliağa-based shipbreaking yards fail to provide essential safety provisions for their workers. The fact that accidents, which could have been avoided, also occur at EU-approved shipbreaking yards should prompt the European Commission to reassess the approval and the monitoring procedures of all Turkish ship recycling yards.  

"We reiterate our call to remove the Aliağa-based shipbreaking yards from the EU list until stricter procedures in terms of occupational safety and the containment of pollutants are put in place. The fact that fatalities and dangerous practices, including payment methods that encourage breaches of labour laws, occur also in EU-listed yards should raise concerns over the EU list’s credibility and the EU auditing procedures of Turkish ship recycling facilities. We cannot accept this double standard, nor that the death rate from workplace accidents in the Aliağa shipbreaking region has consistently been above the Turkish average. Certification of these human rights violations must be halted."
Asli Odman - Istanbul Worker's Health and Safety Watch

NOTES

 

[1] The Bideford Dolphin, an oil platform sent for dismantling to IŞIKSAN where İbrahim Karakaya lost his life in August 2024, and 10 other workers got injured due to a toxic gas leak, was owned by Dolphin Drilling as well.

Press Release – IndustriALL Europe and NGO Shipbreaking Platform call for a robust European Industrial Maritime Strategy for sustainable Ship Recycling and quality jobs

Posted on by Nicola Mulinaris

IndustriALL Europe and the NGO Shipbreaking Platform issued a joint statement calling on the European Commission to adopt a robust European Industrial Maritime Strategy that places safe and circular ship recycling at the heart of Europe’s maritime manufacturing sector, and acknowledges its strategic importance. 

Ship recycling is a high-skill and labour-intensive activity that could positively contribute to Europe’s circular economy and decarbonisation efforts. Yet, even though around 35% of the global fleet is EU/EFTA-owned, only 1% of these are recycled in EU-approved ship recycling facilities. This represents a large missed opportunity as valuable materials from end-of-life ships, predominantly steel, are lost to foreign markets. In addition, quality jobs in the European industry are threatened due to the unfair competition. 

Since a surge in the number of end-of-life ships to be dismantled is expected in the next decade, the EU must be ready to accommodate this by creating a tailored policy environment. Studies estimate that up to 12 Mt of scrap steel from EoL vessels could be yielded per year, which, in current numbers, would cover approximately 20% of Europe’s scrap steel use. 

"Europe must stop treating ship recycling as mere waste management. The EU Industrial Maritime Strategy is a unique chance to anchor ship recycling as a strategic, circular, and socially responsible activity. It should combine high environmental standards with quality jobs, strong health and safety protections, and long-term skills development. This is not just about sustainability—it’s about securing Europe’s industrial future. Ship recycling can become a pillar of decarbonisation and industrial resilience."
Isabelle Barthès - Deputy Secretary General - IndustriALL Europe

In order to secure secondary raw materials, reinforce industrial autonomy, and create decent jobs across the maritime value chain, the organisations propose concrete policy measures to be clearly embedded in the upcoming Industrial Maritime Strategy: 

- recognise ship recycling as a strategic maritime industry essential for climate, circular economy, and raw materials security and autonomy,  

- close loopholes in the EU Ship Recycling Regulation and the Waste Shipment Regulation that allow ship owners to circumvent obligations and export hazardous waste to third countries, namely by including Beneficial Ownership of vessels, 

- embed strong social conditionality in public funding and industrial support to ensure that ship recycling contributes not only to environmental objectives, but also to high quality industrial employment and long-term skills retention in Europe, 

- prepare for the anticipated wave of end-of-life vessels to be dismantled by supporting the EU ship recycling sector, ensuring safe and environmentally sound recycling of vessels, 

- support creation of jobs in the ship recycling sector, which could revitalise EU regions affected by the decline in shipbuilding sector, on certain conditions: maintaining high occupational health and safety standards in the sector, promoting job stability, including fair and stable contracts for workers, and contributing to skills development in the field, 

- continue supporting innovative projects, such as Oppsirk or CirclesOfLife, that could be scaled up with tailored policy support, and further contribute to EU’s industrial autonomy and resilience. 

"As the number of vessels heading for dismantling is set to increase fivefold in the coming decade, ship recycling cannot be the blind spot of the EU’s Industrial Maritime Strategy. Strengthening European ship-recycling capacities can play a crucial role in enhancing the sector’s competitiveness and strategic autonomy (today, only 1% of EU-EFTA-owned ships are recycled in the EU) while directly contributing to the European Union’s circular economy and decarbonisation objectives. The European Commission cannot miss this opportunity to send a strong signal to the sector, investors and policymakers."
Philippine Bernard - Policy Officer - NGO Shipbreaking Platform

In July last year, NGO Shipbreaking Platform provided feedback to the consultation on the Strategy, where a need for tailored policy support for the EU ship recycling sector was identified. Without decisive EU policy, Europe will continue to lose valuable secondary raw materials to foreign markets, weaken its industrial base, and miss a pivotal chance to create sustainable, high skill jobs. By acting now, the EU can turn ship recycling into a cornerstone of its industrial resilience, climate ambition and social equity.

Press Release – European Commission launches consultation on the 15th update of the EU-approved ship recycling facilities list

Posted on by Nicola Mulinaris

The European Commission launched its long-awaited consultation on the 15th update of the European List of ship recycling facilities. As the NGO Shipbreaking Platform, we call on the EU to remove all Turkish ship recycling facilities that use the landing method, support the non-inclusion of Indian ‘beaching’ yards, and urge the EU to support capacity development in line with the circularity and decarbonisation objectives.

We welcome the decision to remove the Dörtel ship recycling yard in Aliağa, Turkey. An inspection carried out by the Commission revealed that a ship was being dismantled while still being partially in the water, and the facility was not equipped with an impermeable floor and a slag collector. This could with a high probability lead to contamination of seawater - the main requirements for proper hazardous waste collection and treatment were therefore not met. Therefore, the removal of this facility from the list was indispensable. Although the decision to remove the the Dörtel ship recycling yard in Aliağa, Turkey is a step in the right direction, we find it insufficient.

"Approving yards in third countries that would never be allowed to operate in the EU creates a double standard that undermines not only recyclers that have already invested in truly sustainable methods, but also efforts to improve and scale practices to an acceptable level globally."
Ingvild Jenssen - Executive Director and Founder - NGO Shipbreaking Platform

Dangerous conditions in Turkish yards continue to reap their toll. In November this year, another worked died when tons of ship scrap fell on him, killing him instantly. This happened at the Temurtaşlar yard, which is an EU-approved facility.

Whereas several Indian yards – where ships are cut on unprotected tidal mudflats – have applied to be included on the European list, and were audited by the European Commission in late 2024, none have been proposed to be added to its most recent edition.

Beaching - the current method used by the Indian yards - does not provide full containment of pollutants; it is not allowed in the EU, explicitly banned in China and the UAE, and has even been identified as a method that needs to be replaced by drydocks by the Indian government in its Maritime India Vision 2030.

In their position submitted to the Commission, the European Shipowners (ESCA) states that the facilities on the EU list have very limited capacities, and their ship recycling activities are predominantly limited to small, often inland-sail vessels. Furthermore, the association complains that Indian ship recycling yards are again not included in the proposed new list.

"Instead of lamenting the exclusion of beaching yards, claiming that they have no other options, ship owners should play an active role in building the needed capacity to sustainably recycle their assets. There is no better time than now to establish cross sectoral synergies with both steel and construction sectors to boost circularity and ensure the availability of industrial platforms to dismantle all types of vessels."
Ingvild Jenssen - Executive Director and Founder - NGO Shipbreaking Platform

Even though it is true that the EU-located facilities recycle smaller vessels, this is not due to the fact of their limitations in terms of size and technical capacities, but to the lack of stable inflow of ships to recycle. Considering the marine cargo sector’s record profits, we find their lack of willingness to contribute to the capacity building in the EU unjustifiable. The top 9 shipping companies’ profits rose in the 3rd quarter of 2025 to more than $4.3 billion in operating profit (EBITDA).

So far, only a handful of ship owners, including Hoegh, Hapag Lloyd, CMA-CGM and Petrobras, are taking action to build a better future for ship recycling. The vast majority continue to circumvent international environmental laws with ease, and even lobby for the weakening of standards as illustrated by the ECSA’s submission.

The Commission is furthermore urged to lead by example and enhance capacity in the EU to recycle the many ships that will head for scrap in the coming years. As outlined in the NGO Shipbreaking Platform’s recent report, enhancing domestic capacity for ship recycling provides a strategic opportunity for the EU to secure a steady supply of high quality secondary scrap for the decarbonisation of the steel and construction sectors, and provides coherence with EU environmental policies aimed at preventing the export of hazardous materials from the EU.

It is high time that the EU takes effective steps to at least hold its own shipping sector to account. The best way to do that is to apply its legislation to the real owners of ships and close legal loopholes made available when relying on the flag or location of the ship. Importantly, EU Member States now have to signal whether they will continue to succumb to pressure from ship owners that seek to avoid accountability or support the development of green jobs and circular hubs that will benefit European steel and construction sectors and reward responsible ship owners.

Press Release – Ship recycling can and should boost circularity, sustainable transition, and creation of green jobs in the EU steel and recycling sectors

Posted on by Nicola Mulinaris

The NGO Shipbreaking Platform, Recycling Europe, and EUROFER publish a joint statement calling the EU for a recognition of the strategic importance of the European ship recycling sector. The signing parties highlight the numerous benefits of ship recycling for the European steel market in light of circularity and the green transition towards low-carbon production methods, and outline concrete policy actions needed to unlock its full potential.

Why ship recycling matters:

- an aging global fleet – studies forecast a five‑fold increase in end‑of‑life (EoL) vessels by 2033;

- material recovery – between 70 % and 95 % of a ship’s weight can be reclaimed as high‑quality scrap, supplying the steel industry with a substantial secondary‑raw‑material stream;

- the EU stake – companies based in the EU and EFTA own about one‑third of the world’s fleet, placing the continent in a pivotal position to steer the transition.

The NGO Shipbreaking Platform recently published a thorough report on the role of scrap steel from end-of-life ships in the decarbonisation efforts of the European steel industry. The report suggested several policy changes that could increase access to high quality secondary steel from the maritime sector.

Now joined by the European recycling and steel sectors, we call on the European Commission to adopt effective measures to increase capacity in the EU to recycle the many ships that will head for scrap in the coming years.

In order to keep the valuable steel in the European market, and therefore contribute to strategic material autonomy, the signing parties call the European Commission for:

- Closing the re-flagging loophole in the EU Ship Recycling Regulation by enlarging its scope to the real owners of vessels

- A true level playing field: only fully compliant yards approved

- Investment & financing to scale EU ship recycling capacity

- Transparency from shipowners on fleet retirement plans

- Recognition of ship recycling in the upcoming Circular Economy Act

By keeping valuable steel within the EU, the proposed actions will:

- accelerate decarbonisation – each tonne of recycled ferrous scrap avoids roughly 1.6 t CO₂ (carbon steel) or 5 t CO₂ (stainless steel) compared with primary production;

- strengthen strategic material autonomy – reduces reliance on imported iron ore and coal, shortening supply chains;

- create green employment – modern ship‑recycling yards and green steel sector generate jobs in engineering, environmental management and advanced manufacturing;

- uphold Europe’s leadership – reinforces the EU as a front‑runner in environmental stewardship, worker safety and circular economy policy.

Bringing back ship recycling to the EU is also a question of environmental justice as ships contain many hazardous materials of which the export to South Asian beaches is prohibited by international law. The EU should take responsibility for its ships and ensure their safe and environmentally sound recycling. Strengthening the domestic ship recycling sector will contribute to the EU’s circularity objectives, its strategic material autonomy, while creating green jobs in synergy with the steel market.

You can find the full statement by clicking here.

Platform News – Workshop on Best Available Techniques in ship recycling held at University of Strathclyde, followed by a visit to Kishorn Dry Dock

Posted on by Nicola Mulinaris

The NGO Shipbreaking Platform successfully organised a workshop on Best Available Techniques (BAT) in ship recycling at the Technology and Innovation Centre, University of Strathclyde, followed by a visit to Kishorn Dry Dock and Port between 12–14 November 2025.

The event, part of the Safe, Healthy and Environmental Ship Recycling (SHEREC) project, brought together experts, industry stakeholders, and policymakers from the UK to explore innovative approaches to ship recycling and possibilities for enhancing capacity in the country.

Discussions highlighted the importance of advancing circularity, including the use of AI-based solutions, optimised material recovery, the concept of ship material passports and how advanced technologies can strengthen competitiveness.

Building on the theme of innovation, Johannes Thrane from Afdecom and John Jacobsen from Circles of Life presented the OPPSIRK project, which focuses on upcycling steel from decommissioned ships for direct reuse in the construction sector. Anıl Sefer Günbeyaz from the University of Strathclyde shared further case studies on circularity in the maritime sector, and emphasized the added value of having a ship material passports to support better material recovery and broader decarbonisation efforts.

Focusing on capacity to recycle ships in the UK, Steve Welham presented Kishorn Port and Dry Dock’s ongoing expansion and unique deep sea access capabilities. Mike Dixon from Wolvinston Group reflected on lessons learnt from Atlas Decom’s efforts to establish a new ship recycling yard at Inchgreen Dry Dock and why it never recycled a vessel. Bill Cattanach from the North Sea Decommissioning Authority outlined the complex challenges of recycling floating oil and gas structures, particularly those contaminated with Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM). He underlined the need for fully licensed UK-based facilities to safely carry out such operations in compliance with international law and national regulations.

Finally, Rafet Emek Kurt from the University of Strathclyde shared his award-winning work on developing SHIELD (Safety Human Incident & Error Learning Database), a human factors tool used to analyse and ultimately prevent maritime accidents, and how it could be used to better understand underlying accidents in also the ship recycling sector.

The workshop concluded with a visit to Kishorn Port and Dry Dock.

"The workshop reinforced that advancing BAT, circularity, and sustainable practices in ship recycling requires policy support, technological innovation, stakeholder engagement, and strong human-centred approaches. Many ships will be heading for scrap in the coming years of which the UK could sustainably recycle, all whilst contributing high quality scrap for the decarbonisation of its steel production."
Ekin Sakin - Policy Officer - NGO Shipbreaking Platform

Press Release – EU urged to halt approvals of hazardous shipbreaking facilities in Aliağa, Turkey

Posted on by Nicola Mulinaris

Turkish and European NGOs call for stricter enforcement of the EU Ship Recycling Regulation

 

 

Turkish and European civil society is urging the EU to revoke the approvals of ship recycling yards that put workers and the environment at risk. In an open letter to the European Commission, a broad coalition of Turkish NGOs, lawyers, unions and city councils, backed by Brussels-based NGO Shipbreaking Platform and the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), demand the immediate withdrawal of all EU approvals granted to ship recycling facilities in Aliağa, Turkey, under Article 23 of the EU Ship Recycling Regulation (SRR) [1].

The letter highlights several infringements of the SRR, including environmental and public health risks linked to regulatory exemptions, gaps in law enforcement, illegal waste dumping and contamination by heavy metals and other pollutants.

The coalition held a press conference in Izmir on 18 November. The signatories argue that the existing approvals effectively legitimise practices that would never be allowed in any EU Member State, creating a dangerous double standard that exposes workers and communities to environmental and occupational hazards.

The signing parties call on the European Commission to:

- revoke all EU approvals for Aliağa ship recycling facilities without delay;

- revise the approval procedures under the EU Ship Recycling Regulation so that only fully contained, industrial platform methods, such as drydocks, can be approved;

- fully cooperate with authorities and civil society organisations to ensure that the infrastructure in Aliağa provides safe and environmentally sound ship recycling.

Signatories also raise concerns about the Commission’s ongoing assessment of applications from Indian ‘beaching’ yards. Beaching – the practice of dismantling ships directly on tidal mudflats – is expressly forbidden in the EU. The NGOs urge the Commission to adopt a consistent, zero tolerance policy toward any shipbreaking method that cannot guarantee full containment of pollutants and protection of workers from occupational hazards and fatal accidents.

"While the EU focuses on championing a single market for raw materials, it turns a blind eye to ship recycling yards plagued by labour and environmental abuses. The EU must apply the precautionary principle and remove these facilities from the Ship Recycling Regulation list immediately."
Eva Bille - Head of Circular Economy - European Environmental Bureau

In December 2023, NGO Shipbreaking Platform published a thorough report on ship recycling in Turkey, highlighting systemic failures across the sector. Further submissions regarding updates to the EU list are available here, here, and here.

"The EU list should represent a level-playing field, and must not legitimise bad practices and double standards in the sector. This is something we strongly condemn, and, therefore we take action and support the local civil society."
Ekin Sakin - Policy Officer - NGO Shipbreaking Platform

To be included in the European List, any ship recycling facility, irrespective of its location, must comply with strict safety and environmental requirements. Currently, more than half of EU-flagged vessels are dismantled in Aliağa, where 11 of the 22 local yards are already EU-approved, and five additional facilities are seeking approval.

NOTES

 

[1] Article 23 of the EU SRR states that ”natural or legal persons affected or likely to be affected [...] shall be entitled to request the Commission to take action under this Regulation with respect to such a breach or an imminent threat of such a breach”. Considering the well-documented breaches in terms of environmental protection and health, the signatories urge the Commission to take immediate action.

Press Release – Ship scrap steel can help decarbonise European steelmaking, highlights a new report

Posted on by Nicola Mulinaris

NGO Shipbreaking Platform, in collaboration with Sandbag - Smarter Climate Policy and the University of Tuscia, publishes a thorough report on the role of scrap steel from end-of-life ships in the decarbonisation efforts of the European steel industry. As the EU accelerates its industrial transformation towards more sustainability, ship recycling stands out as a key opportunity to decarbonise steelmaking, strengthen industrial resilience, and build a truly circular economy.

Steel is one of the critical elements of Europe’s industrial strategy. To achieve the European Union’s climate targets, the steel industry must rapidly shift from carbon‑intensive blast furnace steelmaking to low‑carbon electric arc furnace technology, which can incorporate high amounts of scrap steel. As this shift will require steady access to high-quality scrap, boosting capacity to recycle ships in the EU becomes key.

"Europe’s shipping sector is sitting on a massive resource of high‑quality steel that is currently being processed under unsafe conditions abroad at end-of-life. Our report shows that with the right policies, including clear traceability, stricter enforcement, and financial incentives, we can turn ship scrap into a cornerstone of a circular, low‑carbon steel economy. This is not just an environmental win - it is a strategic opportunity for European industry."
Benedetta Mantoan - Policy Officer - NGO Shipbreaking Platform

Ship steel is known for its high, uniform quality and rigorous certification standards - characteristics that make it highly suitable not only for recycling but also for direct reuse. The report highlights innovation from digital material traceability tools developed under the Horizon Project CirclesOfLife, to ship life-extension research by the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research, and the reuse of steel plates in construction, demonstrated by the start-up Nordic Circles as both economically viable and environmentally safe. Together, these developments show how the maritime, steel, and construction industries can collaborate to close material loops and scale circular solutions.

"However, without clear data on composition and certification, much of the steel’s value is lost. Only by enhancing traceability and documentation will the seamless integration of ship scrap into Europe’s industries, including direct reuse in construction, be possible, and significantly boost both economic and environmental benefits, while optimising recovery rates."
Benedetta Mantoan - Policy Officer - NGO Shipbreaking Platform

Ship scrap in numbers

- Only 1% of European ships are currently recycled in the EU;

 

- 70–95% of a ship’s weight can be recovered as scrap, making end-of-life vessels a largely untapped resource;

 

- Recycling ship steel can cut CO₂ emissions by up to 80 % compared to the use of virgin materials, while using roughly 40 % less water and energy;

 

- Forecasts show a surge in EU/EFTA‑owned ship demolitions throughout the next decade, peaking at approximately 12 Mt of scrap steel per year. This could satisfy 10‑15 Mt of the EU’s annual scrap steel demand - roughly 20 % of total consumption.

 

 

Policy recommendations

To seize the opportunity ship scrap steel represents for decarbonising both the European steel and construction sectors, the EU must improve transparency and data on end-of-life vessels, strengthen material documentation, and ensure recycling takes place under the highest safety and environmental standards in EU/EFTA-located ship recycling yards. Upcoming EU policies, including the Circular Economy Act and the Industrial Accelerators Act, should explicitly support sustainable ship recycling in line with EU circularity principles. The report also urges the EU to close existing loopholes in the EU Ship Recycling Regulation, currently applying to EU-flagged vessels only and circumvented by out-flagging practices, and the EU Waste Shipment Regulation, which does not effectively tackle the fraudulent further operability claims of vessel owners.

Click here to access the report.

Platform News – EU Circular Economy Act: ship recycling can help decarbonise the EU’s steel and construction sectors

Posted on by Nicola Mulinaris

With a significant number of ships expected to reach the end of their service life in the coming years, ship recycling presents a strategic opportunity for Europe to meet its goals on circularity and cleaner industrial policies.

 

The NGO Shipbreaking Platform participated in the European Commission’s consultation on an upcoming game-changing legislation: the Circular Economy Act. Our main point is clear: ship recycling presents a significant opportunity to achieve not only enhanced circularity, but also the EU’s strategic autonomy, decarbonisation and competitiveness objectives, while putting an end to the export of harmful waste to third countries.

 

In particular, we highlight the role ship recycling can play for the decarbonisation of the European steel and construction sectors. The world’s fleet is not only growing, but also aging, which will create more opportunities for steel recycling as it is ships’ default building material. Studies predict an even five-fold increase of ships sent for dismantling in the next decade, which could yield more than 100 million tonnes of high-quality steel. Since steel recycling saves 1.5 tonnes of CO₂ compared to raw steel, this would lead to huge emissions reductions and significantly limit pollution. Also, innovative projects have demonstrated how we can directly re-use ship steel in sectors such as construction.

 

However, the vast majority of end-of-life ships end up on Bangladeshi, Indian or Pakistani beaches, where the dismantling and recycling practices are far from safe. Only 1% of EU-owned vessels are recycled in Europe. 

"Owning one third of the world's fleet, the European Union has a duty to lead the way and set an ambitious example for sustainable ship recycling. Instead of destroying fragile coastal ecosystems, and putting workers in third countries’ health at risk, EU-owned end-of-life ships should contribute to decarbonisation and circularity efforts."
Ingvild Jenssen - Executive Director - NGO Shipbreaking Platform

The Circular Economy Act is a key opportunity to shift the sector towards more sustainable practices. The NGO Shipbreaking Platform therefore calls on the European Commission to include in its proposal:

 

- A clear prioritisation of eco-design and upcycling practices that promote reuse over recycling;

- An explicit recognition of the EU-owned fleet as a material bank of high-quality steel, and ship-derived steel as a strategic source of secondary raw material;

- Enhanced product information transparency to facilitate the circulation of ship materials across industries, notably through creation of a Ship Material Passport;

- Ambitious lead market measures for end-of-life ships materials including mandatory circular public procurement targets;

- Strong circularity incentives for the maritime sector including a ship recycling return scheme;

- Clear support to circular innovations and research;

- Decisive action to close legal and enforcement loopholes on end-of-life ship exports, in particular by reviewing the EU Ship Recycling Regulation.

 

We welcome and support any action leading to preventing exports of hazardous waste, and unleashing the circular economy’s potential with its numerous benefits. We therefore call on the European Commission to recognize the strategic role of ship recycling in achieving circularity of the EU economy, and to include the proposed measures to unlock this potential in the Circular Economy Act.

 

Click here to access our full position paper.

Platform publishes South Asia Quarterly Update #43

Posted on by Nicola Mulinaris

In this quarterly publication, the NGO Shipbreaking Platform informs about the shipbreaking industry in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. Providing an overview of accidents that took place on the beaches of South Asia and recent on-the-ground developments, including our activities, we aim to inform the public about the negative impacts of substandard shipbreaking practices as well as positive steps aimed at the realisation of environmental justice and the protection of workers’ rights. 

 

One session in this Update focuses on Pakistan’s shipbreaking sector, exposing the severe human and environmental costs of beaching practices and outlining emerging solutions on the horizon.

Click here or on the image below to access the full version of our quarterly report.