A delegation from the Chinese National Ship Recycling Association (CNSA) visited Germanischer Lloyd’s (GL) Head Office.
They met for a workshop which focussed on standards, training, and research and development. The CNSA delegation was headed by its president, Mr Xie Dehua, whose address examined the approach China industry was taking to improve standards and promote environmentally friendly ship recycling.
All 61 member yards of CNSA offer environmentally friendly recycling facilities, using either dry dock or floating methods. “There is no beaching in China,” said Mr Xie Dehua , “which is a clear indications that China is already well ahead in complying with national and international standards.” His presentation noted that all Chinese ship recycling facilities are equipped with drainage systems, waste management systems, and basic training is given to the more than 10.000 workers involved in the industry.
The delegation from CNSA arrived in Hamburg for a nearly two week official tour to Europe. The visit to GL was the first stop on their tour and highlights the close ties between CNSA and GL in the wake of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed this May in Beijing. The MOU is designed to help promote green ship recycling in China and to enable the Chinese ship recycling industry to comply with the incoming international regulations before they enter into force.
“We are pleased that CNSA could make this visit to Europe and in particular feel honoured to be the first to have the delegation at our headquarters,” said Mr Gerhard Aulbert, Head of GL’s Ship Recycling Practice , in welcoming the Chinese delegation. “With this visit, we are building upon the collaboration agreed on in our MOU, and are facilitating the exchange of information on ship recycling between China and Europe.”
The delegation consists of a number of top executives from several leading Chinese ship recycling facilities. As well as the visit to GL, the CNSA delegation will be visiting the German Ship Owners’ Association (VDR), meeting with ship owners in Hamburg, and gaining some first-hand experience from a German waste and recycling company in Berlin.
The European Commission has recently proposed new regulations, based on the Hong Kong Convention that is expected to come into force in 2015, which will require European ships to be recycled only in authorised facilities worldwide, with some of the requirements even stricter than those of the Hong Kong Convention.
“We are looking forward to deepening our understanding of the new upcoming European regulations, through hearing GL’s interpretation and from our discussions with European stakeholders, such as the European Commission and the German Ministry of Transport,” said Mr Xie .
As one of the three largest ship recycling countries, China is playing a rapidly growing role in the global market and has established its own regulatory framework in line with international standards and practices in “greener” ship recycling. “We expect to boost the competitiveness of China’s ship recycling business by keeping abreast of the latest regulatory requirements and cooperating with more international clients in a broader network,” Mr Xie stated.
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GL Group, October 9, 2012