Alang, India-based ship recycler Priya Blue has invested heavily in infrastructural overhaul to meet the European Commission’s Ship Recycling Regulation (SRR), and is hopeful its efforts will pay off, a company director told TradeWinds.
"Priya Blue was the first yard in India to apply for the EU list and we do see a good chance to be included," Gaurav Mehta of Best Oasis/Priya Blue told TradeWinds, adding that he could not comment further till Brussels inspected the yards.
Priya Blue has covered in concrete the back yard as well as the front yard up to the shore line in order to meet global conventions, Mehta said. "We are sure that the EU will take note of these changes."
Local authorities in Alang had written to all beaching yards in Alang last year, directing them to fit an impermeable floor to their facilities by July 2018 or lose the license to beach ships.
The ship recycler's efforts are aligned with news that the EC is warming up to beaching yards for demolishing the European fleet in the face of capacity shortfall following China’s decision to withdraw from the international shipbreaking market.
The SSR mandates that EU-flagged vessels will have to be scrapped at facilities on an EU approved list from 31 December 2018, which currently comprises only 21 European facilities, none of which are involved in the regular scrapping of large commercial vessels.
TradeWinds reported earlier about the EC agreeing to inspect Shree Ram Vessel Scrap in Alang. The other Indian yards to have applied for EU approval include RL Kalthia Ship Breaking and Leela Ship Recycling.
Green recycling in India
Mehta described Priya Blue as "leaders in green recycling" in India.
"We are the only company registered with Sustainable Shipping Initiative," he said, alluding to the charity that is campaigning for a sustainable shipping industry by 2040.
Necessary work certification for ship breaking-related labour is mandatory at Priya Blue, and all personal protective equipments including hard hats and gloves are provided by the company, Mehta said.
Workers are also given regular training on first aid, fire fighting, gas cutting, hazardous material handling, confined space entry and rescue, and asbestos handling, he said.
"Mock drills are an important part of our daily regime, giving us an edge over other recycling yards as the owners prefer to work with Priya Blue," Mehta said.
The company now controls 240 metres of the Alang shoreline which can recycle up to six VLCCs simultaneously after acquiring two plots, Mehta said.
The first one is Hong Kong International Convention certified by Class NK and the second yard is to be certified by Class NK shortly, Mehta told TradeWinds.
Of the 220 ships sold for scrapping in the second quarter, 169 ended up on beaches in South-East Asia, according to an NGO Shipbreaking Platform report. Between April and June, six workers died and seven workers were severely injured when breaking ships in Chittagong, Bangladesh.
Another worker was reported dead after an accident at a shipbreaking yard in Alang. There have been 18 deaths and nine injuries in South Asia so far this year. NGO Shipbreaking Platform has always insisted that South Asian beaching yards do not meet the standards set out in the EC’s SRR.
