Turning old ships into new green steel
Elegant Exit Company carried out a pilot ship recyling project in Arab Ship Repair & Building Yard in Bahrain. The project successfully explored sustainable and environmentally responsible methods for dismantling end-of-life ships.
- Implementing a structured ship recycling process
- Ensuring adherence to international guidelines and the most stringent ship recycling standards EU SRR / UAE SRR
- Reducing environmental hazards through effective legal waste management by using authorised waste management vendors and compliance with Supreme Council of Environment's guidelines/supervision
- Monitoring by the original shipowner's Safety Representative
- Improving worker safety and well-being
- Assessing economic viability and scalability
Objectives
Vessel selection
We selected the 160m container ship "EEC" (formerly Wan Hai 165), with a 17,717 MT DWT capacity, belonging to a reputed ship owner with high ESG commitments.
Facility selection
We chose the yard based on its location and EU/UAE SRR certification. We reviewed their Ship Recycling Facility Plan during our site visit.
Process & Monitoring
We tracked project outcomes at set stages. Regulatory authorities oversaw all operations to ensure we met international standards.
Recycling process
Layup berth
- Stripping of deck equipment and removable machineries in engine room
- Removal of accommodation block
- Canoe Cutting
Dry dock
- Canoe cut hull enters the dock
- Cut into various block sizes
- Blocks moved to secondary cutting area via SPMT
Secondary and tertiary cutting areas
- Blocks cut into smaller parts - secondary and tertiary cuts
- Segregated into melting scrap and plates
- Recycled parts prepared for transportation
More details on the recycling process (PDF)
EEC's pilot project shows that responsible ship recycling isn't just possible—it's already happening.
Join us on our journey to turn old ships into new green steel.