Cost-Effective and Environmentally Sound Dismantling of Obsolete Vessels

With its last expansion, the European Union now has the largest fleet in the world. Therefore the problem of ship recycling in the European Union (EU) is important, particularly after the adoption of new regulations that ban the sailing of single hull tankers which do not conform to the new MARPOL convention. This new situation covers worldwide shipping and there is the prospect of these regulations being extended to bulk carriers. This means many ship owners will be obliged to withdraw their ships gradually and replace them with new double-hulled ones. It is therefore evident that the demand for ship recycling is expected to rise in the near future. Despite its importance, the vast volume of ship-dismantling activities is performed in a rather unacceptable manner. The whole procedure is rather bottom based, far from being optimal, environmentally friendly and labor considerate. Workers are unaware of the hazards to which they are likely to be exposed. A number of fatal accidents have occurred in the past as a result of explosions, fires and heavy metal plates falling from the upper parts of the ships. Moreover the local environment is heavily polluted. From the above, one can easily conclude that the practices currently followed are far from optimal with a severe impact on both the environment and the workers; the related processes are also ineffective and inefficient.

• Record URL:
  http://www.transport-research.info/web/projects/project_details.cfm?id=35669
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Research institutions undertaking the sub-projects: Naftosol SA, University of Patras, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, Medimetal SA, Leyal Turizm Insaat Mobilya Sanayi ve Ticaret Ltd. Sti., University of Strathclyde, and Kingston Computer Consultancy Limited

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Sponsor Organizations:

  Global Change and Ecosystems

  6th RTD Framework Programme
  European Union
  Brussels,   Belgium 
• Project Managers:

  Athanasios, Pirinis

• Start Date: 20050201
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 20090131
• Source Data: RiP Project 25395

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Cost effectiveness; Equipment replacement; Recycling; Regulations; Ships; Water transportation
• Identifier Terms: European Union
• Uncontrolled Terms: Obsolete ships disposal; Vessel scrapping
• Subject Areas: Freight Transportation; Law; Marine Transportation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01461640
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transport Research Knowledge Centre
• Files: RIP
• Created Date: Jan 3 2013 1:49PM