OCEAN SHIPPING RECYCLING CODE
The international ocean shipping industry has created a code of practice for shipowners to follow prior to disposing of vessels.
“The code is a concerted response to the concerns that have been raised about the working and environmental conditions in some of the world’s ship recycling facilities, almost all of which are located in developing countries,” said Chris Horrocks, secretary general of the International Chamber of Commerce, and one of the drafters of the code.
“While the shipping industry cannot determine the conditions in the recycling yards, it can take some practical steps to reduce the risks associated with the dismantling of ships,” he added.
Other groups involved with developing the ship disposal code were the Baltic and International Maritime Council, the International Association of Dry Cargo Shipowners, the International Association of Independent Tanker Operators, the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation, the International Transport Workers’ Federation and the Oil Companies International Maritime Forum.
The code includes steps that shipowners might take prior to disposing of vessels, such as cleaning and certification of tanks to hot work and entry standards and writing an inventory of potentially hazardous materials on board. The code is available on line at http://www.marisec.org/recycling.
“We intend to pursue the dialogue with all the parties that have responsibility for ship recycling,” Horrocks said. “We aim to discuss with shipbuilders the need to design ships with their ultimate disposals in mind, and perhaps to develop a ‘green passport’ for new ships, detailing the materials used in their construction and updated as necessary during the working life of the vessel.”