Cash Buyer's role
Cash buyers along with the ship brokers are the link between the owners and the
recyclers. Cash buyers can help the owners in selection of the proper recycling
yards. Cash buyers can get the inspections of yard arranged for the owners for the
approval of recycling facility. They can also help the owner in ensuring that a
proper balance is found between commercial and environmental considerations. Cash
buyers on behalf of owners can also verify and ensure that all the processes of
Green Recycling are followed by ship recycler. They can guarantee the performance of
the ship recycling yard to whom they resell the vessel.
Ship Recycler's role
They are the most important link in this business. They are the people who mainly
handle the vessel physically during the process of recycling. They have to upgrade
their recycling facilities by investing time, energy and commitment of funds. Once
the facilities are upgraded and ready, the facility has to be certified and approved
by various ISO and Class Societies. The ship recyclers have to continuously engage
in training and betterment of the facility. They have to have a get a Ship Recycling
Facility Plan and Ship Recycling Plan approved by the sellers or their
sub-contractors. Ship recyclers have to ensure that they follow all the rules and
regulations laid down by the conventions and laws of the state. They have to ensure
that the entire infrastructure is upgraded as per the international conventions and
owners expectations. They also have to put in place a system where in practices of
safe and environment friendly ship recycling becomes a norm rather than an
exception.
ACE EXIM has been one of the pioneers in promoting Green Ship Recycling in India.
There is continuous improvement in infrastructure by the yards as well as practices
to achieve better results. The green yards have ISO Certificates for ISO 9001, ISO
14000, ISO 18000 and ISO 30000 from IACS Classification agencies. They also have
Statement Of Compliance (SOC) confirming to Hongkong International Convention - 2009
(HKC) for safe and environmentally sound ship recycling issued by various agencies
like ClassNK, RINA, IRClass etc. We also encourage third party inspection agencies
to contact us to arrange audit of such Green Ship Recycling Yards.
The planning and designing of yards has taken place in such a way that it reduces and
minimises the pollution and contamination that is usually associated with green ship
recycling. The main focus can be summarised as below:
1. Environment
The cutting of ships is done on impermeable concreted floors. There is separate area
for oily and non oily blocks. All the oily blocks are cleaned and their oily bilge
water is collected in tanks and disposed off as per norms. Proper care is taken
during cutting of the vessels that no contamination takes place either in sea, inter
tidal zone or main yard.
2. Health , Safety & Training.
Periodic health check-up is done for the workforce involved in Ship Recycling. All
proper personal protective equipment is provided for safe working. Continuous
training is given to workers to create more awareness regarding safe practices.
Workshops and mock drills related to first aid, fire fighting, emergency
preparedness etc are conducted regularly so that workers can react swiftly and
wisely in case of actual emergency. All the machinery like cranes, winches and their
allied tools are checked and certified d periodically. Specialised training for each
department is given to avoid any mishaps during recycling.
3. Hazardous waste management.
Inventory of hazardous material (IHM) is prepared based on the IHM from the ship
owners or prepared by the experts at the recycling facility. A proper recycling plan
is devised that outlines how to remove oil, asbestos, bilge water etc. from the
ship. The hazardous waste is identified on the basis of the IHM and the Ship
Specific Recycling Plan is followed. The waste collected is stored in special waste
collection areas and then send to government authorised waste handling site for
disposal.
ACE EXIM is associated with many such HKC SOC approved Green Ship Recycling Yards in
India for many years and works closely and shares a symbiotic relationship with such
yards.
- Detailed documentation of Ship Dismantling procedure followed by Ship Breaker to
be accounted for every ship
- Disposal of hazardous materials like asbestos, TBT’S, PCB’S by the right
agencies in the right way. One such organisation, set up by Gujarat Maritime
Board, Alang, India is Gujarat Enviro Protection & Infrastructure Limited
(GEPIL). Set up in 2005, this organisation maintains a site of 7 hectares to
collect, transport, receive, store, process, dispose off by land fill or other
required treatments, the hazardous wastes of yards in Alang. Maintenance of
Inventory of Hazardous Materials (earlier known as Green Passport) where all the
hazardous materials and their location on board is listed.
IMO recognised that ship dismantling should not discontinued as everything from a
dismantled ship is put to productive re use. Ship Recycling helps remove large
obsolete tonnage, which would otherwise require big finances to be maintained
without use. Green Recycling is being encouraged in all the Ship Recycling
Countries. While in Alang most of the yards have been certified ISO 9001, 14001,
180001 and 30000, Bangladesh, Pakistan and China are soon catching up.