| Ships have a finite working life, at the end of which they need to be dismantled. Much of the material, such as the steel, that makes up a ship can be recycled. Indeed, the scrap value of the metal means that, whilst the ship owner can sell on defunct vessels, the owner loses direct control over how the vessels are dismantled. However, the ships that are now reaching the end of their lives now also contain hazardous materials such as asbestos, PCBs and waste oils which need to be disposed of safely.
Most large ships are currently dismantled in Asia, but health and safety protection for workers and environmental protection standards there are, by the standards of the developed world, often unacceptable. However, there are few, if any, facilities in the developed world that are capable of dismantling the largest ships. Recent experience in Hartlepool, England showed that strong objections might be raised to the development of such facilities.
The regulatory framework that applies to ships as waste, advocated principally by the International Maritime Organisation, is complex and difficult to apply and enforce. Although some welcome first steps have been taken, including the development of voluntary guidelines and the establishment of an international working group, much still needs to be done to create a coherent and effective international regime.
The Government has an important role to play in ensuring this issue receives the necessary international attention and priority, particularly during the United Kingdom's forthcoming EU Presidency and chairmanship of the G8. At that time, the Government will have a significant opportunity to ensure that greater priority is given to this issue and to help to determine a workable set of rules governing the safe dismantling of ships.
At home, the Government must also do everything it can to persuade UK-based ship owners to arrange for their vessels to be disposed of responsibly. It is imperative that, as a first step, it ensures that all naval and other publicly-owned vessels are dismantled to the highest health, safety and environmental standards.
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