Why do We Encourage More Ship Owners for Green Ship Recycling

The ship recycling industry has been a dependable way of disposing of the aging global shipping fleet. Many steps have been taken to make the whole process more sustainable and environmentally sound. At R.L. Kalthia we have a comprehensive guide on why we encourage more ship owners to embrace green ship recycling and how it can be adapted to shipbreaking activities. The blog will introduce you to different ways of shifting to green ship recycling and the role of regulatory bodies in promoting green ship recycling across the globe. 

Increased Focus on the Green Ship Recycling 

Green ship recycling is a concept that aims to make shipbreaking more sustainable and reduce marine pollution. The concept gained popularity in the ship recycling industry as the concern over the environmental impact of ship recycling. Numerous efforts have been made at both the international and national levels to encourage more ship owners to green ship recycling. India is the world’s largest green recycling destination, with many numbers of yards holding statements of compliance with the Hong Kong Convention. The Government of India has been working to improve the standards of ship recycling yards.

Identifying the factors affecting green ship recycling has been an essential process that ships recycling companies and policymakers can use to guide the ship dismantling process. in an environmentally sound way. The focus has been shifted to green ship recycling and several attempts have been made to encourage shipyard owners and shipbuilding companies to adopt the practices.

Integrating Green Ship Recycling in the Shipbreaking Activities

Green ship recycling has gained popularity with increased awareness among shipbreaking yards. With gradual adoption by shipbreakers in developing countries, green ship recycling will become the norm and take the shipbreaking industry by storm. Green ship recycling will slowly and steadily become the new reality in the ship disposal system.

With global initiatives, green ship recycling is increasingly encouraged. Unlike, conventional shipbreaking that happens alongside the beach, in green ship recycling the ship is dragged to a dock where it is dismantled. This prevents the flow of toxic chemicals into the ocean.

Role of Regulatory Compliances in Propagating Green Ship Recycling 

Once the need to regulate the shipbreaking process was recognized many regulatory bodies and conventions were launched. The regulations have a key role in addressing the environmental, economic, and social impacts of the shipbreaking industry. The implementation of these guidelines promotes responsible ship recycling contributes to the conservation of the marine environment and also protects worker rights and safety. Some of the key organizations working to establish green ship recycling standards are mentioned as follows: 

• International Maritime Organization (IMO)
• Basel Convention
• European Union (EU) Ship Recycling Regulation
• International Labor Organization (ILO)
• Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships

Economic Benefits of Greenship Recycling 

Besides, the environmental benefits, green ship recycling also offers economic benefits. The ship recycling industry significantly impacts the local supply chain and promotes production in ancillary industries. The growth of this industry directly impacts economic growth, creates business opportunities, fosters innovation, and increases the overall development of industries. By promoting green ship recycling practices ship owners can further get several economic advantages such as: 

• Green ship recycling can recover and sell valuable materials, thereby cutting the cost of buying new raw materials. 
• Greenship recycling can reduce disposal costs.
• With higher resale values for ships sustainable ship recycling can ensure higher resale values for ships.
• Steel recovered through ship recycling can have one-fifth of the greenhouse gas emissions of steel recovered through conventional mining.
• Ship recycling can reduce reliance on the steel industry with the advent of a circular economy. 

Conclusion 

Greenship recycling has been highly promoted after the launch of the Hong Kong Convention and regulatory bodies. At R.L. Kalthia we encourage more ship owners to embrace green ship recycling for the systematic disposal of hazardous materials, sustainable shipbreaking, and integration of a circular economy.