Platform News – Clean Shipping Coalition: Maersk undermines its reputation with plan to circumvent ship recycling law

Published in June 08th, 2016

The Clean Shipping Coalition criticises container ship giant Maersk for its statement that is considers to flag out end-of-life vessels from the Danish or other European registries in order to circumvent the European Ship Recycling Regulation. The Clean Shipping Coalition, a global coalition of nine organisations promoting sustainable shipping, argues that Maersk’s move “seriously undermines its credibility as a responsible ship operator”.

"Maersk is a European company and should abide by European laws. Suggesting that it might use a flag of convenience to escape EU ship breaking rules designed to protect the environment and worker safety is scandalous, and will seriously undermine its credibility as a responsible ship owner and operator."
John Maggs - Senior Policy Advisor at Seas At Risk and President of the Clean Shipping Coalition
"While Maersk supports innovation in reducing air polluting emissions, this move shows a cavalier attitude towards the environmental impacts of dismantling ships in the intertidal zone. Maersk needs to reverse course on practices that it previously denounced and that would never be allowed in Europe."
Sotiris Raptis - Shipping Officer - Transport & Environment

Maersk has recently decided to go back to India to have its old ships scrapped in yards that operate breaking activities in the intertidal zone of the beach. These yards will not be listed by the European Commission as they cannot comply with the requirements under the European Ship Recycling Regulation.

"Maersk has sent a clear signal: either European environmental regulation accommodates for its practices in India, or the world’s largest ship owner will just ignore the Ship Recycling Regulation by flagging out. The threat to resort to non-European flags amounts to blackmailing law makers who seek to ensure that European ship owners have to maintain European standards in their business activities around the world."
Patrizia Heidegger - Executive Director - NGO Shipbreaking Platform

Click here to access the Clean Shipping Coalition's press release.

 

CONTACT THE TEAM
Nicola Mulinaris
Senior Communication and Policy Advisor
+32(0)260.94.420
Ingvild Jenssen
Director and Founder
+32(0)260.94.419

Related news

Feb 12th 2025

Ship recycling in Aliağa under the spotlight

NGOs call on Turkey and the EU to bring needed change and transition the sector towards dry docks.

... Read More
Brussels, Oct 27th 2016

Platform News – Maersk involved in illegal toxic waste trafficking

  The Maersk-owned floating oil production and storage tanker, North Sea Producer, left the UK in May 2016 and was directly towed to Bangladesh, where it arrived… Read More

Brussels, Sep 18th 2024

Press Release – Bangladesh: ship explosion exposes regulatory failures


Deadly accident in a yard with Hong Kong Convention certification 
claims six lives.

... Read More
Lisbon, May 17th 2023

Press Release – NGOs organise event on sustainable maritime transport on 31 May in Lisbon

On 31 May, between 2PM and 7:30PM, the NGOs ZERO, Sciaena, NGO Shipbreaking Platform and Circular Economy Portugal are organising the conference “Waves of change: towards circular… Read More

MORE NEWS
Brussels, Oct 26th 2017

Press Release – Indian authority shuts NGOs out from Alang yards

The NGO Shipbreaking Platform expresses dismay over the continued failure of the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) to be transparent and to grant civil society access to see… Read More

Brussels, Dec 11th 2024

Press Release – Norwegian Altera Infrastructure avoids trial by accepting fine for illegal shipbreaking

The NGO Shipbreaking Platform welcomes the NOK 8 million fine imposed on Norwegian ship management company Altera Infrastructure for the illegal scrapping of the two shuttle tankers NAVION BRITANNIA… Read More

Brussels, Jan 25th 2017

Platform News – ‘With Bare Hands’: an immersive journey into the problems of shipbreaking

International media outlets publish ‘With bare hands’, the first multimedia and data-driven reporting project that documents the negative impacts on the environment and the human costs of… Read More

Rio de Janeiro, Jul 10th 2023

Press Release – Petrobras to recycle offshore unit in Brazil for the first time

This significant move paves the way for the development of a recycling industry in Brazil.

... Read More

Donate

NGO Shipbreaking Platform
The leading NGO coalition campaigning for clean and safe ship recycling

© 2019 NGO Shipbreaking Platform  |  Privacy Policy  |  Designed by Essence Creative  |  Hosted by Outfront