Akram Elentably
Through the green marine concept, an environmental certification program is being expanded by adding a performance indicator for responsible ship recycling. The safe and environmentally sound recycling of ships have not yet been certified with sufficient validity for their entry into force, and the new indicator is the result of cooperation between industry, environmental organizations, the scientific community and government representatives. It is divided into two parts. The first set of standards invites ship owners participating in green marine by creating a stock of Hazardous Materials (IHM), while the second group applies to owners who already dismantle/recycle one or more ships in any given year.
As usual, the new level 1 standards require that existing regulations be monitored. While level 2 calls for the development of a policy governing ship recycling. Level 2 also requires delivery of all newly created ships using IHM so that when the ship is eventually dismantled, recyclers know exactly the types, quantity, and location of the hazardous material on board the ships. Given that many existing ships do not have an IHM, level 3 is built on a level 2 plan by requiring the ship-owner to create an IHM for at least one existing ship. While at level 4, IHM should be available for 50 percent of the fleet, while at level 5, all ships should have IHM stock. A new ship recycling performance indicator will be optional during the first year of evaluation, as is always the case when new indicators are added to the program. It will then be mandatory to obtain a green marine certification.