Maersk developing sustainable ship recycling in India

It argues that with more vessels to recycle in the future the current cost of sustainable ship recycling is not feasible.

Annette Stube, Maersk’s head of sustainability, said: “The Maersk Group’s policy is to only recycling ships responsibly. There has, however, been no change in practices in this area and responsible recycling is only feasible in a limited number of yards in China and Turkey.”

The market for ship recycling is dominated by practices unchanged for decades. Out of the total 768 ships recycled globally last year, 469 were sold to facilities on beaches in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

“We want to play a role in ensuring the responsible recycling becomes a reality in Alang, India,” Ms Stube said.

She continued: “To find sustainable solutions we are working on building a broader coalition with other ship owners and have initiated engagement with a number of careful select yards in Alang.”

The estimated extra cost for Maersk for responsible recycling at existing yards if US$1-2m per vessel.

There has been steady improvement witnessed in ship recycling yards in Alang in the last few years and currently a total of four yards there are now certified to the standards of the International Maritime Organisation and Hong Kong Convention.

The company will engage in the development of sustainable ship recycling on a long term basis, and said it will work directly with selected certified yards in Alang over the next few years.

Ms Stube concluded: “This includes improving local waste facilities and hospitals – and upgrading the housing conditions for migrant workers in Alang.”