Press Release – Worst corporate dumpers asked to clean up their acts
Targeting sustainability and fleet managers, the NGO Shipbreaking Platform calls for the adoption of responsible ship recycling policies in letters sent to shipping companies standing out for their particularly poor shipbreaking practices, as revealed in the Platform’s Annual Dumpers List. [1]
The letters recall the irreversible environmental and human health impacts caused by the scrapping of end-of-life vessels on tidal beaches, and stress the sharp contrast with the strict hazardous waste management regulations enforced in major ship-owning countries.
In an ongoing effort to rouse sector decision-makers from what appears to be a pervasive disregard of environmental regulation compliance, the Platform provides an overview of the international and regional legal frameworks governing ship recycling, including obligations to ensure environmentally sound management under UNEP’s Basel Convention. Highlighting the deficiencies of relying on the so-called Statements of Compliance with the upcoming Hong Kong Convention, the letters also underscore the significance of recently adopted legislation, such as the new UAE Ship Recycling Regulation, which prohibits beaching and landing.

In the spirit of transparency, the Platform is also reaching out to the corporate dumpers’ shareholders to raise awareness about the end-of-life practices of their portfolio businesses. [2]
NOTES
[1] List of targeted companies:
A.P. Moller-Maersk (Maersk), COSCO (China Ocean Shipping Company), Dae Bok Shipping Co Ltd, Dae Yang Shipping Co Ltd, Daiichi Tanker Co Ltd, Danaos Shipping Co Ltd, Eurobulk Ltd, Evergreen Marine Corp, Golar LNG Ltd, Green Reefers, Hahn & Company, Hartmann AG, JFE Holdings Inc, Korea Line Corporation, Lavinia Corp, Marmaras Navigation Ltd, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), Meratus Line PT, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, NYK Line, Sinokor Merchant Marine Co Ltd, Taiwan Navigation Co. Ltd, Tanto Intim Line PT, Transworld Group.
[2] In 2018, the Norwegian Government Pension Fund decided to exclude the shipping company Evergreen from their investment portfolio as Evergreen’s scrapping practices were seen to cause an “unacceptable risk that [Evergreen] contribute to serious environmental damage and gross human rights violations”.

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