Capt. Abdullah al Hayyas, Director of Maritime Transport at the UAE’ Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, who made a clear declaration and commitment to highest standards for ship recycling and UAE's leadership towards excellence.
Dr. Anil Sharma, Founder and CEO of GMS, was openly challenging the audience to justify any new buildings with a view to reducing emissions without considering the use of old ships, thus stating that it’s better to run older ships longer than replacing them with new buildings.
Our Chairman Uday Yellapurkar, who was invited by Maersk to this event, also shared his thoughts on stage on the connection between Ship Scrapping and the Steel Industry today and in the future. He relayed his personal journey, from his first encounter with Ship Scrapping as a captain commanded to sail his ship up onto the beach for scrapping, through various functions within the shipping industry, finally, after many conversations with the relevant players in the Industry, coming to the idea that resulted in EEC.
He stated that the connection between the Steel Industry and Ship Scrapping in South Asia, where scrap steel mainly is reused locally, is a big driver behind the success of the yards there. This connection between ships, yards and steel plants is a big part of what is lacking in other places, like the EU, to make the transition to Sustainable Ship Recycling.
Uday believes this can and should change in the future. The demand from the Steel Industry is there. They want to use shipping scrap in the steel making process, to reach the targets for CO2 reduction they have set. For this they will need a steady supply of scrap steel that not one ship owner will be able to deliver on its own.
To solve this, Ship Recycling facilities will need to be set up where everything that is needed from the industry to governments is ready to make it happen. What is missing to bridge the gap now, is the engagement from shipowners.
The transition to Sustainable Ship Recycling needs to be prepared, and shipowners need to engage in making that transition possible.
Photo by TradeWinds Events
