Germany has approved its first facility dedicated to the dismantling and recycling of large ships.
This facility, operated by EWD Benli Recycling, is located in Emden on the site of the parent company Emder Werft und Dock (EWD).
The company has secured the necessary governmental permits that classify it as a specialised waste management business, following the approval process, which took about one year.
“We immediately received the first enquiries, which we still had to turn down due to the ongoing approval phase,” remarked Björn Sommer, one of the two managing directors.
EWD Benli Recycling said it aims to focus primarily on the dismantling of seagoing vessels, inland waterway vessels, coasters, passenger ships and ferries, but also wind turbines and industrial plants.
The yard, established in 1903 as Nordseewerke – Emder Werft und Dock, currently employs 150 workers and features two floating docks, a dry dock, and nearly 2km of quay facilities.
“In principle, we will be able to dismantle anything that can enter the port of Emden through the sea lock,” said Sommer.
This initiative comes as a response to the current practices in the industry, where many decommissioned ships are sent to South Asia.
According to the German Shipowners’ Association, roughly 700 ships are scrapped each year, with most of them ending up at breakers in Pakistan, Bangladesh and India, where safety and environmental protection concerns have been raised for many years.
The launch of the first shipbreaking operation in Germany also comes ahead of the Hong Kong Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships entering into force in June. The convention calls for shipbreaking yards to be comprehensively certified for occupational safety and environmental protection by the independent classification societies.
Since late 2018, the EU Ship Recycling Regulation has required all large seagoing vessels sailing under an EU member state flag to use an approved yard included in the European List of ship recycling facilities. The most recently updated list contains 43 facilities, comprising 31 in Europe, 11 in Turkey, and one in the US.