Tag: legal

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.

Press Release – Marinakis’ tanker beached in Bangladesh amid Greek government indifference

Posted on by Nicola Mulinaris

Reports United's investigation exposes systemic law evasion and industry complicity

 

A recent Reporters United’s investigation into the illegal end-of-life sale of TRADER III — a tanker linked to companies of Greek shipowner and media magnate Vangelis Marinakis — lays bare how Europe’s most powerful shipping interests still funnel toxic end-of-life ships to Bangladesh’s tidal beaches. It also records, in the words of a senior Greek official, a policy of deliberate indifference that lets these illegal exports sail on.

 

The facts are stark. On 29 January 2025 the TRADER III called port at Nemrut, Turkey. The next day it tracked toward Chios, cut south across Greek territorial waters, drifted off Egypt until 14 February, then headed east towards the shipbreaking beach of Chattogram, Bangladesh. On 15 March the tanker was beached at KR Ship Recycling Industries’ King Steel yard. By then, the deal chain had done what it was designed to do: deliver illegally a high-value hull to a non-OECD beach, far from EU oversight, for workers to cut it by hand amid hazardous substances onboard.

At the centre of the deal stands Global Marketing Systems (GMS), the world’s largest cash buyer of scrap ships — and a company long accused of enabling the world's toxic shipbreaking trade. The journalists document that Marinakis-linked interests sold the vessel directly to GMS. Scrap dealers, such as GMS, arbitrage lax standards and higher per-tonne prices paid by South Asian beaching yards. 

 

The report also showcases how ship owners and GMS get away with trafficking ships to South Asian beaches. In June 2025, GMS hosted a webinar featuring Petros Varelidis, Greece’s Secretary-General for Natural Environment. There, Varelidis spelled out — without ambiguity — a policy of wilful non-enforcement when it comes to regulating exports of end-of-life ships like TRADER III from Greek waters. He also went further, dismissing EU officials responsible for monitoring ship recycling as “low-level bureaucrats”.

 

Inaction by Greek authorities causes harm. Chattogram's yards remain among the world’s deadliest work places. King Steel yard itself recorded an accident in August while the TRADER III was beached there. Europe’s legal framework is unambiguous: exports of end-of-life ships from the EU to non-OECD are banned, and the EU Ship Recycling Regulation channels EU-flag ships to approved yards — a list that does not include beaching yards in Bangladesh. Owners dodge this with flags of convenience and cash-buyer transfers, but courts across Europe have begun to pierce the veil of such deals, recognising owners’ duty of care to ensure sustainable ship recycling. 

 

Greece and Turkey are the main European chokepoints — the last predictable places to stop on the way to a beaching yard. Yet, as Reporters United’s file shows, Greece “pretends”, and Turkey looks away, even when NGOs provide concrete case alerts. “Greek and Turkish authorities have a very bad track record of turning a blind eye,” our policy team told the reporters, reflecting years of unanswered warnings about illegal exports staged from their waters.

"What happens next will show whether the law matters when powerful owners are involved. We call on Greek prosecutors to open an immediate probe into the Trader III’s export, to obtain contracts, emails and an end-of-life sale timeline, as well as investigate compliance by responsible Greek authorities. The seller’s intent and the ship’s foreseeably illegal destination were evident before the vessel left Greek waters. EU institutions should furthermore sanction Greece’s evident failure to comply with the Waste Shipment Regulation"
Ingvild Jenssen - Executive Director - NGO Shipbreaking Platform

Press Release – From refurbishment promise to scrapping threat: the Moby Drea controversy

Posted on by Nicola Mulinaris

The Italian-flagged ferry MOBY DREA, which left Genoa in July after its owner assured Italian authorities it would be refurbished in Croatia and returned to service, is now mired in controversy. Following protests by Croatian civil society organisations, the heavily asbestos-contaminated vessel is again on the market for dismantling.

 

Public outrage in Split has been building for weeks, with the civic initiative “Zdravi Split” leading protests to demand that the ship leaves Croatia, as it was feared the removal of 400 tonnes of asbestos would be conducted locally at the Brodosplit yard, exposing workers and residents to unjustifiable risks. In response, Croatia’s Ministry of Sea, Transport, and Infrastructure ordered the vessel to leave within seven days, but later extended the deadline by fifteen. Now, it is reported that the ship is finally scheduled to depart today.

 

Open letters to the government stress that asbestos removal constitutes ship recycling, which is strictly regulated under EU law (Regulation 1257/2013) and the Basel Convention. The Brodosplit yard is not licensed for conducting scrapping operations, the ship should thus never have been allowed to enter Croatia in the first place.

 

Two official Inventories of Hazardous Materials dated 10 September 2024 and 20 January 2025 further eroded trust; the first having declared the presence of 64.30 tonnes of asbestos onboard, while the second estimating nearly 400 tonnes. This huge discrepancy raises serious concerns about oversight and transparency, and adds to the sense that the MOBY DREA case has been mishandled from the outset.

"The MOBY DREA carries an enormous asbestos load, and it must not end up in a facility that cannot manage it safely."
Benedetta Mantoan - Policy Officer - NGO Shipbreaking Platform

The Platform warns that Turkey, a likely destination for scrapping, cannot be considered a responsible option. Turkish ship recycling yards have repeatedly been criticised for unsafe practices, particularly in the handling and disposal of toxics such as asbestos. Sending a vessel with nearly 400 tonnes of asbestos to such facilities would endanger the health of workers and surrounding communities. 

"The ship owner and Italian authorities, as the flag state, now have a responsibility to ensure the vessel leaves Croatia without delay and is recycled at a certified European facility capable of managing its hazardous materials in full compliance with the law."
Benedetta Mantoan - Policy Officer - NGO Shipbreaking Platform

Press Release – Province shuts down hazardous shipbreaking at Union Bay

Posted on by Nicola Mulinaris

A victory for residents and environmental protection

 
The NGO Shipbreaking Platform celebrates British Columbia’s decision to cancel the Crown land lease held by Deep Water Recovery Ltd. (DWR) in Union Bay, effectively halting years of unsafe shipbreaking along the Baynes Sound shoreline.

 

The cancellation follows consistent advocacy from local residents, the K’ómoks First Nation, and environmental groups, who raised alarms over DWR’s dismantling of vessels containing asbestos and other hazardous substances without proper permits or oversight.

 

Josie Osborne, MLA for Mid‑Island‑Pacific Rim, underscored the importance of ensuring ship recycling is conducted lawfully and safely. On social media, she added, "I deeply appreciate all the advocacy, letters, and meetings with local residents, organisations and leaders since 2021," and expressed gratitude to provincial ministers and staff for their steady attention to the issue. The province’s statement emphasised that DWR "has not demonstrated the level of regulatory compliance, operational responsibility, or environmental stewardship required" to justify use of Crown land for dismantling vessels, adding that the lease was revoked to protect the public interest.

"This is a hard‑fought and well‑deserved victory. The province’s decision sends a clear message that dangerous shipbreaking practices will not be tolerated."
Nicola Mulinaris - Senior Communication and Policy Advisor - NGO Shipbreaking Platform

The determination of Union Bay residents, support from Indigenous leaders, and the province’s eventual intervention have transformed a local fight into a broader precedent in the global movement for responsible ship recycling. Yet, the work isn’t done. Derelict vessels and industrial debris remain on the shoreline, and cleanup must proceed swiftly under government oversight. The Platform stands with community members in calling for transparent and comprehensive remediation.

 

This case also highlights Canada’s glaring regulatory gap in ship recycling. Without federal legislation, hazardous dismantling might continue unchecked.

Press Release: Need for reform of ship recycling sector in Turkey has never been more apparent after massive fire and waste dumping scandal revealed

Posted on by Nicola Mulinaris

In recent months, Turkey’s ship recycling sector has experienced significant movements. From controversies surrounding the sale of shipbreaking yards to the arrival of a UK Navy vessel, and now the fire aboard the decommissioned FSO Sloug, public concern has been mounting over safety, transparency, and environmental standards in Aliağa. 

 

Moreover, on 16 June 2024, a coalition of civil society organisations filed a criminal complaint against public authorities and ship recycling companies, which exposed years of environmental monitoring and health data, drawing from recent EU inspection reports and official Turkish documents. It alleges widespread regulatory failure and systemic misconduct across the shipbreaking sector in Aliağa, including crimes of deliberate environmental pollution, document falsification, and misconduct.

Fire on the SLOUG

 

On July 3rd, a fire erupted on the decommissioned FSO SLOUG, which had been left idle at the Simsekler yard in Aliağa for over two years with approximately 6,000 tons of petroleum still in its tanks. The ignition was triggered during cutting operations by the presence of residual petroleum—an entirely preventable accident had the vessel been properly cleaned and certified gas-free, following both Turkish and international law. 

"When we visited the ship recycling region, everywhere was invisible in black smoke. Workers were still working in the area. The fire was the predictable result of regulatory failure, and insufficient oversight."
Sonay Tezcan - Workers' Platform of the Aegean

Another Military Vessel in Aliağa

 

The Chambers of Chemical and Environmental Engineers have raised alarms over safety and environmental risks in Aliağa as another toxic warship arrives in Turkey to be dismantled at the yard Leyal. The HMS Bristol, a 1967 British Navy destroyer, carries hundreds of asbestos parts, lead-based paint, organotin antifouling coatings, CFC gases, and PCB-containing equipment. Its Inventory of Hazardous Materials lists over 400 asbestos items, 283 kg of lead paint, and 263.5 kg of toxic tributyltin (TBT), a banned compound harmful to marine life.

 

A recent BBC report revealed that two workers at Leyal — which dismantles most of the UK Navy’s decommissioned vessels — were diagnosed with occupational diseases, heightening concerns about toxic exposure and the lack of adequate worker protections.

 

"The arrival of HMS Bristol in Aliağa reflects a broader systemic failure. No ship should be dismantled here without strict oversight and protective measures. We are deeply concerned about the safe handling of hazardous materials on board. In line with both national laws and international obligations, particularly the Basel Convention, HMS Bristol should never have been brought to Turkey. It must be returned immediately. The UK Navy must adopt a transparent, sustainable ship recycling policy that protects the environment, public health, and workers’ rights."
Selma Akdoğan – Chamber of Environmental Engineers in Izmir

Criminal Complaint Demands Scrutiny in Aliağa

 

Amid growing public concern, a formal criminal complaint was submitted on 16 June 2025 by EGEÇEP (Aegean Environmental and Cultural Platform Association), İzmir Medical Chamber, DGD-SEN (Union of Dock, Shipyard, and Shipbreaking Workers), İzmir Chamber of Chemical Engineers, and İzmir Living Spaces Initiative. It documents years of violations in Aliağa’s shipbreaking zone, citing EU inspections and Turkish government reports.

 

It alleges environmental crimes including deliberate pollution, falsification of official documents, and abuse of public office. Key failures include lack of environmental reviews, unsafe dismantling, poor waste management, false reporting, and ongoing neglect of worker safety and public health. These recurring violations have caused what the complainants call “slow violence” against communities and nature. 

 

"Through its operations, the Ship Recycling facility has deliberately caused environmental pollution and continues to operate without fulfilling the legally required occupational health and safety conditions. In this context, a thorough investigation and prosecution must be carried out to address and remedy these systematic violations."
Hülya Yıldırım – Attorney in Environmental Law

Sale of the Aliağa Ship Recycling Zone

 

Last month, the disputed ownership of Aliağa Ship Recycling Zone reached a critical point. The 20-year rental agreement with TOKİ (Housing Development Administration of Turkey), expiring mid-2026, is sparking debate among public, political, and industry sectors. Ongoing disagreements and failed sales attempts have stalled decisions on the land’s future. On 28 February 2025, it was revealed that Aliağa Municipality acquired the property from a TOKİ-linked subsidiary.

 

The land was sold for 10.06 billion TL (€ 221.3 million) excluding VAT, with claims surfacing that it will later be resold to ship recycling companies with a 32% profit margin. It was stated that 80% of the acquisition process has been finalised, with full completion expected during summer 2025.

 

Mayor Serkan Acar clarified that APAŞ, the municipality’s petroleum subsidiary, is a private company, so municipal council votes are irrelevant to the land acquisition. He reiterated the municipality’s aim to regulate the area, suggesting a future where the zone evolves from dismantling to include maintenance and large-scale repair operations. According to the Mayor, “the most important issue—property ownership—has now been resolved. A sale is not currently on the table. Those who have long operated in this area will be prioritised in any future decisions.”

 

However, the acquisition sparked debate over its opaque process, funding, future land use, and why the land was sold to APAŞ instead of the municipality directly. Critics raised concerns about transparency and lack of public or parliamentary disclosure. Mayor Acar justified the acquisition by stating that when an open tender was previously considered, the facilities had expressed fear of land loss. He shared that the companies themselves requested the Municipality’s intervention to resolve the issue. 

 

Separately, inspections found 15,000 tons of hazardous waste improperly stored or buried in the zone. The municipality vowed strict sanctions, due to health and environmental risks. Mayor Acar acknowledged the findings and that it seemed some of the waste had been intentionally buried. Meanwhile, a group of ship recyclers protested fines, foreclosures, and demolition orders from the Municipality, demanding immediate ownership titles and criticizing APAŞ and Aliağa Municipality for arbitrary treatment. However, reports now suggest the disputes are being resolved, with an agreement reached for transferring the land to the yards.

 

Yet, despite now owning the land, the Municipality does not have more rights on environmental oversight, and environmental degradation in Aliağa lies in the absence of effective implementations of the regulation and oversight by the Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Transport authorities. The waste dumping could have been detected much earlier had there been proper environmental monitoring. Indeed, problems in Aliağa stem not from infrastructural shortcomings alone, but from inadequate environmental governance, including proper monitoring, regulation, and accountability, regardless of property transfer.

 

"Aliağa Municipality must ensure full transparency in the land sale process and collaborate closely with the Ministry of Environment to develop a comprehensive, long-term plan that supports the sustainable development of the region."
Hakan Barçın - Foça Environmental Platform (FOÇEP)

Upgrading Ship Recycling Practices in Aliağa

 

The recent fire aboard the Sloug tanker has brought renewed attention to the urgent need for strengthening oversight and regulatory standards in Turkey’s ship recycling sector. In this context, the planned dismantling of HMS Bristol, a former UK Navy vessel containing significant amounts of asbestos, PCBs, and other hazardous substances, raises serious concerns.

 

Given the recurring challenges documented in Aliağa—including criminal complaints —the import and dismantling of such high-risk vessels must be approached with utmost caution and responsibility. In accordance with the Basel Convention and principles of environmental justice, the UK should be urged to reassess the transfer of HMS Bristol and ensure it is handled in a facility with verified capacity to manage its hazardous contents safely and transparently.

 

As highlighted in our report on the shipbreaking sector in Aliaga, what is urgently needed is a comprehensive framework for ship recycling that includes robust permitting, effective monitoring, and strict enforcement mechanisms. At the same time, the sector must begin a structured transition away from the landing method toward safer and more sustainable dry-dock practices.

 

"We invite the Aliağa Municipality, along with the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, and the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, to work together in developing a clear, transparent, and enforceable roadmap for the future of Aliağa. Environmental protection, worker safety, and alignment with international standards are necessary to ensure a just and sustainable transformation of the ship recycling industry in Turkey."
Ekin Sakin, Policy Officer at the NGO Shipbreaking Platform.

Press Release – The Hong Kong Convention provides no roadmap for sustainable ship recycling

Posted on by Nicola Mulinaris

NGOs call upon the shipping sector to take responsibility and scale best practice

 

Today, the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships (HKC) officially enters into force. While the shipping industry and the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) have framed this as a landmark for safer and greener ship recycling, the NGO Shipbreaking Platform warns that the Convention fails to address the environmental injustice and human rights violations that continue to stain the industry. 

"The HKC does not set a roadmap for sustainable ship recycling, but will instead serve the interests of shipping companies that want to avoid paying the true cost of safe and environmentally sound end-of-life management. Tragically, it also risks to undercut efforts to level the playing field for responsible ship recyclers to compete."
Ingvild Jenssen - Executive Director & Founder - NGO Shipbreaking Platform

The HKC does not prevent the most dangerous and polluting form of shipbreaking: the dismantling of end-of-life vessels on tidal mudflats, as practiced in countries like Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. This method, known as beaching, exposes workers to life-threatening risks and does not prevent hazardous materials - such as oil sludge and heavy metal laden paints - from contaminating fragile coastal ecosystems. By failing to prohibit beaching, the HKC rubberstamps a practice that has long been banned in all major ship owning countries [1] and which is excluded as an option for end-of-life management by responsible shipping companies [2]. 

 

The UN Special Rapporteur on Toxics and Human Rights and civil society groups globally already called out the HKC for its weak environmental standards and its silence on worker protection when the Convention was adopted in 2009. Since then, more than 100 beaching yards in India and Bangladesh have claimed that they operate in compliance with the HKC and received so-called Statements of Compliance with HKC from well-known classification societies. It says much about the low standard set by the IMO that facilities operating on a beach without infrastructure to contain pollutants, with no hospitals in the close vicinity, no capacity to safely dispose of hazardous materials and no track record of monitoring the health of their workers, supposedly fulfil the requirements of the HKC. Poor safety standards at these yards have caused numerous deaths and injuries - last year an explosion killed seven workers at a facility in Bangladesh that had obtained a so-called Statement of Compliance with HKC from Japanese classification society ClassNK.

 

The HKC’s reliance on defective flag-state control [3], its failure to impose binding labour and environmental protections, and its lack of downstream waste accountability means that ship owners can continue to operate with impunity, outsourcing the risks of dismantling to some of the world’s most vulnerable communities. 

 

The NGO Shipbreaking Platform strongly denounces industry pressure to position the HKC as a substitute for existing, more robust legal instruments—most notably the Basel Convention, which restricts the global trade of hazardous waste and bans the dumping of toxic waste on developing countries. [4] While legal experts have outlined why the Basel Convention cannot be replaced by the HKC [5], governments must now support ways to ensure better enforcement of existing international environmental and labour laws and amend the HKC to bring it in line with these laws. Any move to side-line the Basel Convention in favour of the current weaker HKC framework would be a serious setback for global environmental governance and a betrayal of the communities who have borne the cost of this industry's failures for decades. 

"he shipping industry cannot settle with a Convention designed to accommodate industry worst practice. Beaching should be phased out, not endorsed."
Ingvild Jenssen - Executive Director & Founder - NGO Shipbreaking Platform

NOTES 

 

[1] Beaching is banned in China, the EU, North America and the UAE recently adopted a new Regulation which also bans landing and will enter into force on 26 June.

 

[2] Last year the IOGP adopted new guidelines for recycling which exclude beaching as safe and environmentally sound. Companies such as Hapag-Lloyd and Walenius-Wilhelmsen have long had policies for not using beaching facilities. Petrobras is developing capacity to recycle its assets in dry-docks in Brazil, and very recently autoliner Hoegh announced an exciting new collaboration with AF Decom and Nordic Circles to up-cycle eight of their ships in Norway.

 

[3] The flags of St Kitts and Nevis, Comoros, Tuvalu and Mongolia are particularly popular for end-of-life vessels that end up in South Asia. Middle men scrap dealers known as cash buyers change the registry of the vessels to these flags just weeks before they hit the beach. These flag registries are black and grey listed by port authorities globally due to their poor implementation of maritime law.

 

[4] According to the World Bank, Bangladesh alone will have since 2010 imported 79.000 tons asbestos; 240.000 tons PCB containing cables; 240.000 tons Ozone Depleting Substances; 69.200 tons heavy metal laden paints from end-of-life vessels by 2030. Yet, Bangladesh has zero capacity to properly manage these toxic materials. Ships are being illegally imported to Bangladesh with fraudulent documents claiming that they are free of toxic materials.

 

[5] Both the Basel and HKC contain explicit conflict-resolution provisions, making it unnecessary to invoke general principles such as lex posteriori (a later treaty prevails) and lex specialis (a more specific treaty takes precedence). Legal experts have furthermore outlined why the HKC does not provide an ‘equivalent level of control’ to the Basel Convention - and thus fails to protect especially developing countries from the dumping of hazardous waste. As such the Basel Convention must remain fully applicable and cannot be displaced by the HKC.

Platform News– Legal action taken by family of deceased worker following fatal incident at IŞIKSAN ship recycling yard in Turkiye

Posted on by Nicola Mulinaris

On 31 August last year, a fatal accident occurred during the dismantling of the Norwegian floating oil platform BIDEFORD DOLPHIN  at the IŞIKSAN ship recycling yard in Aliağa, İzmir.

 

Ten workers onboard the offshore unit were exposed to toxic gas. Tragically, İbrahim Karakaya—who was at the site to purchase materials and furniture before dismantling began—lost his life.

 

According to the expert report submitted to the prosecution file, the accident was entirely preventable. The cause was traced to interference with a solenoid valve, which resulted in oxygen deprivation within a confined space.

 

The report further revealed failure by the ship recycling yard to implement fundamental occupational safety procedures: no gas-free protocol was carried out, confined spaces were not adequately inspected, hazardous areas were not sealed off, and there were no emergency response or rescue measures in place.

"Work in confined spaces and the management of gas measurements are based on well-established standards that have been in place for nearly half a century. This accident could and should have been avoided."
Prof. Dr. Alp Ergör - İzmir Medical Chamber

Despite having identified serious breaches of safety standards and clear negligence by IŞIKSAN, no penalties on the yard have so far been imposed.

"The accident occurred due to a lack of occupational safety measures and ineffective emergency management. No assessment was made, and no one took responsibility. Ensuring safety and justice calls for continued effort and commitment."
Sonay Tezcan - Workers' Platform of the Aegean

While there is an ongoing criminal investigation, Ibrahim Karakaya’s wife and two children have been left without adequate support.  The emotional, financial, and logistical distress of Ibrahim’s death has deeply affected every aspect of their lives.  İbrahim’s widow, who now tragically is under treatment for cancer, is the sole caretaker of two young children, and has recently filed a separate compensation case to seek justice, accountability, and the fair reparations her family deserves from IŞIKSAN.

 

Press Release – Another worker dies at Alang shipbreaking yard

Posted on by Nicola Mulinaris

A wake-up call as Hong Kong Convention’s entry-into-force will rubberstamp dangerous practices

 

Just weeks before the Hong Kong Convention (HKC) for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships is set to enter into force on 26 June, another shipbreaking worker died in Alang—the world’s largest ship dismantling site—at a facility that claims to already be compliant with the Convention’s standards [1].

 

On 20 May, 20-year-old Satur Bhai, from Bhara Para village in Gujarat’s Bhavnagar District, fell to his death while dismantling the vessel REM (IMO 9157739) at Plot No. 50. Without a safety harness, he was tasked with removing furniture from the ship’s seventh level. He was employed as a begari (helper)—a position typically untrained, underpaid, and unprotected.

 

The REM, formerly sailing under the South Korean flag as SK SUPREME, was reflagged to St. Kitts and Nevis before being dumped in Alang. This deliberate flag-switching is a textbook case of regulatory evasion, allowing the vessel’s beneficial owner—South Korea’s SK Shipping Co. Ltd—to sidestep international safety and environmental norms, and to obtain the highest profit for the end-of-life asset.

 

Despite growing scrutiny, dangerous and abusive practices remain the norm in Alang where ships are scrapped on tidal mudflats. And while the HKC aims to regulate the industry, its weak provisions threaten to legitimise these very conditions. 

 

Satur Bhai’s death is not isolated. In these last five years at least 10 workers have lost their lives taking apart the global fleet in Alang under conditions that would never be allowed in major ship owning countries, including South Korea. With 90 percent of the global fleet still being scrapped on three beaches in South Asia, the shipbreaking sector is marked by systemic neglect, opaque ownership structures, and a race to the bottom in environmental and labour protections.

 

This latest fatality follows renewed calls on South Korea to end the dumping of end-of-life vessels on South Asian shores. The export of hazardous waste—including ships laden with toxic paints, asbestos, and residue oils—to countries without proper containment and disposal infrastructure contravenes the Basel Convention on the Control of the Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Waste and their Disposal, to which South Korea is a party.

"This tragedy puts a spotlight on the failure of both national governments and international regulators to protect workers and the environment. If global shipping powers like South Korea are serious about sustainability and accountability, they must invest in domestic recycling capacity and end exploitative shipbreaking practices abroad. International policy makers need to furthermore ensure effective enforcement of the Basel Convention which currently provides the highest level of protection for both the environment and workers."
Ingvild Jenssen - Executive Director & Founder - NGO Shipbreaking Platform

NOTE

 

[1] In the last years, there has been a proliferation of the so-called Statements of Compliance with the Hong Kong Convention, inspections conducted at yards on a business-to-business basis as yet another attempt by the industry to greenwash its dirty and dangerous practices. Facilities that lack infrastructure to contain pollution; lack protective equipment to prevent toxic exposure; have no hospitals to handle emergencies in the vicinity; and where systemic breaches of labour rights have been documented have been able to obtain these Statements.

 

 

Press Release – Rendsburg Court acknowledges environmental harm caused by shipbreaking, but acquits shipowners

Posted on by Nicola Mulinaris

NGOs welcome Public Prosecutor’s appeal

 

The NGO Shipbreaking Platform welcomes the Public prosecutor’s appeal of the Rendsburg District Court’s decision to acquit the shipowners involved in the illegal export and scrapping of the ship WESTERHAMM. While the ruling marks the first time in Germany that shipowners stand trial for violating environmental law through shipbreaking practices, the Court failed to hold them legally accountable — despite the judge’s own recognition of the environmental damage caused.

 

In her oral statement, Judge Martje Heinsohn made a powerful and unequivocal declaration: “What you did was not right. You caused significant damage to the environment in order to achieve maximum profit. I can only appeal to you to give something back to the environment.”

 

The WESTERHAMM, a 188-meter-long container ship operated by MSC and owned by Rendsburg Schiffahrtskontor, sailed from Bremerhaven on 2 November in 2016, then made stops in Gibraltar and Egypt before being deliberately driven at full speed onto the infamous shipbreaking beach of Alang, India. There, it was dismantled under conditions that are well documented to be highly hazardous for both workers and the environment. The export of end-of-life ships to India is illegal under the EU Waste Shipment Regulation.

 

The Court’s decision to acquit was based on doubts about the timing of the intention to dispose the ship. The shipowners claimed that the decision to scrap the vessel was only taken when the vessel had left German waters and provided as evidence sales documents for scrapping that had been signed when the ship was in international waters. They also sought to argue that because the WESTERHAMM was still operational when it left Germany, the ship could not be considered as waste under international and EU law, disregarding well-established jurisprudence that confirms a vessel can simultaneously be classified as both a ship and waste. Indeed, what triggers the classification as waste is the owner’s intent to dispose the asset, and because a ship is a waste that can move on its own — unlike most other types of waste — it remains also a ship subject to all other maritime regulations on its last voyage to the scrapping yard.  The fact that the WESTERHAMM was still operational does therefore not negate its classification as waste under international and EU law. 

 

The public prosecutors have appealed the acquittal and maintain that internal communications confirming the “unconditional desire to dispose of the ship” as there was no market for its further operational use provide evidence of the intent to dispose of the ship. 

 

In other cases of illegal trafficking of end-of-life vessels, fraudulent information on further operational use or repair was provided to circumvent EU waste laws. In Norway, Altera was held liable for the illegal export of two shuttle tankers to India — also in this case the owners had claimed that the scrapping of the ships was only decided when the ships had left Norwegian waters. In the Harrier case it was shown that the owners had deliberately provided fraudulent information on repair works in Dubai to authorities to avoid the trade ban, while the true destination was scrapping in Pakistan. Also in the North Sea Producer case, it was claimed that the vessel would be further used in Nigeria – instead it sailed straight to Bangladesh for scrapping. 

"The shipping industry is well versed in how to circumvent international waste laws. In our view, the question is which state is the exporting state if it is not Germany? Importantly, the decision to scrap the Westerhamm was taken in an office in Germany – where the vessel actually was at that time should not be the decisive matter — after all ships are intended to move. While we regret last week’s missed opportunity to hold the owners of the Westerhamm accountable for circumventing European waste laws, we are satisfied to see that the public prosecutor’s office has appealed the decision."
Ingvild Jenssen - Executive Director & Founder - NGO Shipbreaking Platform