BIMCO, the EU's strategy for safe and environmentally friendly ship recycling has failed

"For all purposes, " specified the Secretary general of the shipowners' association - Turkey is the only list that recycles Panamax ships. But at the moment turkish shipyards are mainly engaged in the recycling of cruise ships and therefore are unable to other types of ships.'

BIMCO pointed out that, in these conditions, shipowners have no alternative but to reclassify their obsolete ships placing them under flag states that are not part of the European Union.

He did not expressly state this, but the Secretary-General of the BIMCO has hinted that the EU's strategy to that the scrapping of ships takes place in a safe and environmentally friendly has failed: 'the intention to protect the environment and to ensure the safety of workers - said Loosley - is exemplary, but at BIMCO we would have liked the EU to have addressed its good intentions towards the ratification of the Hong Kong Convention', the international legislation of the 2009 on safe and environmentally friendly ship recycling that has not yet entered into force ( of the 15th May 2009).

BIMCO also pointed out that, even if it could be demolish the ships in one of the union-authorised shipyards european level, the difference in the price of steel would mean that shipowners who should make use of these establishments a loss of at least $150 per tonne compared to the demolition of the ship in an Indian yard, money -- he pointed out the association -- which could be used to example to invest in more modern ships.

Referring then to an updated report on the European list of the ship recycling plants that has been commissioned to Marprof Environmental by BIMCO, according to which the tax rules be admitted to the list do not reflect the reality and do not take into account the lack of capacity to demolition of large ships, BIMCO pointed out that the report notes that in India there are construction sites that can be in accordance with European rules and which are also adequate from a commercial point of view. Looking at the current situation of naval demolition activities in India, the report recalls that 20 Indian shipyards have filed an application to be included in the list of plants authorised by the EU, but none of these have been accepted. It also specifies that two other inspections conducted by the European Commission in India in October 2019 found that one of the two plants has characteristics and operations that comply with what is required to be admitted to the list, but nevertheless from the inspection it is result that local infrastructure in terms of hospitals and downstream waste management facilities are not adequate.

Returning then to the obstacles preventing shipowners from use authorised ship recycling facilities by the EU, BIMCO specified that the Northern Shipyards Europe concentrate their demolition activity in the decommissioning of offshore installations, an activity that results in much more profitable. To this - he further pointed out the BIMCO - the issue of Brexit is added, with an exit of the UK from EU that would force BRITISH shipyards to re-apply to be admitted to the list European.