By Gavin van Marle

(The Loadstar) Maersk Line has responded to criticism from an environmental group accusing it of utilizing flags of comfort to bypass EC tips on ship scrapping.

The world’s largest container transport line this yr introduced it might proceed to ship vessels earmarked for recycling to the Indian seashores of Alang – lengthy a favoured scrapping vacation spot for shipowners.

However it has come beneath hearth from environmental campaigners claiming the waste administration efforts at Alang are lax, and that it’s outdoors the checklist of EU-approved ship-scrapping websites – at present comprising “a limited number of yards in China and Turkey”.

Recycling a ship at these yards prices between $1million and $2m extra per vessel, Maersk has calculated. And the rules solely apply to vessels crusing beneath an EU flag.

John Maggs, senior coverage advisor at Seas At Risk and president of the Clean Shipping Coalition, stated: “Maersk is a European firm and will abide by European legal guidelines.

“Suggesting that it might use a flag of convenience to escape EU ship-breaking rules designed to protect the environment and worker safety is scandalous, and will seriously undermine its credibility as a responsible shipowner and operator.”

However, Maersk yesterday informed The Loadstar that some scrapping amenities in Alang had raised requirements, with 4 now licensed to new requirements outlined beneath the current Hong Kong Convention.

Maersk Group’s head of group sustainability, Annette Stube, stated: “Maersk Group has had a accountable ship recycling coverage since 2009 – and we have now not lowered our requirements or modified our coverage following our engagement in Alang.

“Developments in recent times in Alang have seen a lot of licensed yards able to recycling to our requirements. In our view, it’s important to assist this growth – and we do that almost all successfully by bringing our ships to be recycled responsibly in Alang.

“We consider our engagement an opportunity to change the industry for the better,” she stated.

The Clean Shipping Coalition argues that Maersk’s choice to go to Alang “undermines not only the company’s position as a responsible industry leader, but also European efforts to improve global conditions”, and added that it represented a reversal on its “progressive policy on ship recycling, including a ‘cradle-to-grave’ approach of ‘total vessel recycling’”.

Sotiris Raptis, transport officer at Transport & Environment, added: “While Maersk supports innovation in reducing air polluting emissions, this move shows a cavalier attitude towards the environmental impacts of dismantling ships in the intertidal zone. Maersk needs to reverse course on practices that it previously denounced and that would never be allowed in Europe.”

The Clean Shipping Coalition stated current tips issued by the EC “make it clear that a beach is not an appropriate place for a high-risk heavy industry involving hazardous waste management”.

Vessels crusing beneath an EU flag can be legally obliged to make use of an EU accredited facility, however strain teams have known as for transport corporations world wide “with a responsible policy to use EU-approved facilities”.

However, Maersk identified that 768 ships had been scrapped final yr, with 469 – 74% of this whole gross tonnage – bought to amenities on seashores in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Ms Stubbe urged the EC might develop its tips with higher reference to present actuality.

“The aim of the EU legislation should be to raise the standards where the vast majority of the world fleet is recycled. This is by no means accomplished by the suggested legislation, as it fails to support the development and improvement we have witnessed in Alang” she stated.

“We strongly encourage the commission to reconsider its position, as an unfortunate consequence of the suggested legislation is the exclusion of the yards where more than 70% of the world’s fleet is recycled,” she added.

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