Every year, there are over 2 billion metric tons of rubbish being produced around the world. That number is expected to increase to over 3 billion metric tons by 2050. And with only 60% of waste being properly managed, the future looks grim. One thing that contributes to this problem is the shipping industry. With as much waste as a ship produces while it’s working, it’s also at risk of adding to the problem when it’s decommissioned. This is why we offer green ship recycling. This allows you to have your old cargo or passenger ship taken apart and recycled instead of letting it go to waste. To learn more about this process, here is our complete guide to green ship recycling.
What Is Green Ship Recycling?
Simply put, green ship recycling is a responsible method of dismantling ships/vessels so that there is little to no negative impact on human lives, animal lives, or the environment. The amount of waste created during the process is also reduced as well as how much waste the ships themselves create.
One of the goals of green ship recycling is to get the maximum value out of every ship. This provides benefits to the owner of the ship who can get more money from selling usable parts and equipment instead of simply scrapping all of the metal throughout the ship.
Green Ship Recycling Process
Let’s look at some of the aspects of the green ship recycling process that are essential for ensuring a cargo or passenger ship is properly dismantled when it reaches the end of its life. Together, these ensure nothing ends up polluting the environment and only actual rubbish goes to the dumps.
Removal of Harmful Materials
Ships contain a variety of hazardous materials that can be harmful to humans, animals, and plants. This can include:
- Asbestos
- Oil
- Gasoline
- Mercury
- Lead-based paint
Each of these need to be isolated and safely removed before being disposed of properly. Oil and gasoline, in particular, can pose a threat to marine life if they’re allowed to get onto the beaches or into the water. When inexperienced or irresponsible shipbreakers work, these can often find their way into the ocean.
Some of these, such as lead-based paint and asbestos, are no longer being used in ship construction because of how dangerous they are to human and animal health. However, they were still popular building materials around twenty years ago when many of the ships that are now being decommissioned were built.
Removal of Useful Parts
Although a cargo ship may not be able to transport goods anymore, that doesn’t mean every part of the ship is useless. There may be many mechanical parts that are in good working order. Or, some parts may have been recently replaced and still have years of use left in them.
Through green ship recycling, every part is evaluated for its potential to be reused in its current form instead of being turned into scrap metal. Since you can get a significantly higher price for a working part as opposed to a few pounds of scrap steel, it makes sense as a shipowner to get the most out of your ship.
When these parts sold as replacement parts for other ships in operation, this also cuts down on the environmental impact of shipbreaking. You can avoid the work associated with melting down a part into scrap and the production of a new part.
Going Through a Ship’s IHM List
Part of what allows green ship recycling to be successful is that it requires a ship to have an Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM) List. This is a document that should be created at the beginning of the life of a ship and stay with the ship over its lifetime. It can then be used during the shipbreaking process to ensure all hazardous materials are addressed.
An IHM should contain a list of all of the hazardous materials the ship contains when it’s built. Then, every time a ship is repaired or modified in any way, the document can be updated to remain accurate. When a ship reaches the end of its life, the shipyard responsible for breaking it down can go through the inventory to make sure they have a complete record of the materials used.
Dangers of Beach Shipbreaking Methods
Let’s briefly look at what beach shipbreaking is so you can understand why it should be avoided at all costs. This method has been used for many years and is unfortunately still occurring today despite it posing a serious threat to the environment and people.
With beach shipbreaking, a ship is brought onto a beach where it’s taken apart. This job may or may not be performed by qualified individuals. Often, this causes toxic chemicals and rubbish to end up directly in the ocean, or fall onto the beach, polluting the nearby environment.
In addition to these environmental concerns, this method often puts human lives in danger. Some shipowners sell old cargo ships to cash buyers who then drop the ships off at one of the many “ship graveyards” in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India. In these dangerous work environments, thousands of workers have lost their lives or their ability to work.
Although this method does result in every possible scrap of metal being recycled, it’s not worth the risk to human life or to the environment. Shipping companies are also now being held liable for knowingly allowing their ships to end up in places like this where workers are being injured and dying.
Need Help with your Green Ship Recycling Project?
Now you know what green ship recycling is and why it’s essential to undertake when you have an old cargo or passenger ship you need to recycle. As you can see, it’s an environmentally-friendly process that allows you to get the most out of your decommissioned ship. If you want to learn more about how we can help you recycle your old cargo or passenger ships for scrap, contact us today. We would be more than happy to answer any additional questions you may have about green ship recycling and get you started with the process.
