The Danish Minister for the Environment and Food has taken the first steps towards implementing rules for safe recycling of vessels, ensuring that people and the environment on a global scale will be better protected, Danish Shipowners’ Association said in its media release.
Worldwide, approximately 1,000 merchant vessels are being scrapped every year in order to recycle valuable materials, such as steel. The vast majority of vessels are sent to Asia to be dismantled under at times questionable conditions in countries like India and Bangladesh where the focus on the environment and working conditions is not comparable to Europe.
The Minister for the Environment and Food, Esben Lunde Larsen has now launched a new proposal, which will ensure that Denmark can ratify the so-called Hong Kong Convention; a global agreement to ensure that ship recycling is done in a proper way, so that both people and the environment are protected from harmful substances.
According to the Danish Shipowners’ Association, ten Danish operated vessels are in average being recycled every year. A small part is recycled in Denmark, and the rest is recycled mainly at shipyards in India, China and Turkey.