The Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, and A.P. Moller-Maersk have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to examine and implement a ship recycling programme in Bahrain.
The signing ceremony was also attended by the project’s main partners, including the Arab Shipbuilding and Repair Yard Company (ASRY), SULB Company, and APM Terminals (APMT) Bahrain, which manages Khalifa Bin Salman Port and is a subsidiary of Maersk.
According to the MoU, the Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications and the Ministry of Industry and Commerce will give regulatory assistance to ASRY, which will thereafter be responsible for outfitting the yard and ports with the requisite ship recycling equipment.
Maersk will serve as the technical and operational advisor, bringing knowledge in implementing sustainable practices and responsible ship recycling requirements.
SULB will use the steel from the ship recycling process to further treat and recycle it for local and worldwide markets.
The MoU, the first of its type in the Kingdom of Bahrain, intends to create a ship recycling and green steel ecosystem in Bahrain by fostering collaboration between the government and industry players while also assuring sustainability throughout the process.
Maersk added that the MoU also shows effective public-private collaborations for accomplishing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Bahrain’s Economic Vision 2030.
Ahmed Hassan, Senior Vice President Head of Asset Strategy, A.P. Moller – Maersk, said: “Maersk has established a ship recycling programme governed by our own Responsible Ship Recycling Standards (RSRS) independent of geography.
“We are proud to bring our technical and operational knowledge to the Kingdom of Bahrain and share it with like-minded stakeholders that will help the industry address the capacity challenges we are staring at in the future. We are hopeful that this MoU will provide the right platform to accelerate responsible ship recycling in the Kingdom, create a positive impact on the country’s economy and create jobs.”
Recently, Maersk inaugurated a new ocean shipping route between China and Bangladesh to address increasing trade demand, particularly in the retail sector.