Hong Kong: The NGO Shipbreaking Platform has applauded Hamburg-based Hapag-Lloyd for having adopted a new, progressive ship recycling policy, something that is likely to bring plenty of business for China’s recyclers. The German shipping company will now only seek “sustainable solutions for green ship recycling”.
“While previously our second-hand ships were used for a longer time by their new owners after we had sold them, we recently had to realize that buyers had passed on the ships more and more rapidly for demolition, in particular to ship breakers who use the beaching method. As this method of shipbreaking does not fulfill Hapag-Lloyd’s strict criteria for workers’ safety and environmental protection, we ourselves will in the future monitor and supervise the professional recycling of ships in a certified facility following the requirements of the Hong Kong Convention”, a Hapag-Lloyd spokesperson told the NGO.
Already, Hapag-Lloyd has decided to sell the New Orleans Express to a ship recycling facility in China. China does not break up ships via beaching, opting instead to dry dock them and take them apart in a more systematic manner. [28/08/14]
