Demolition yards included in the European List of ship recycling facilities are located in Belgium, Denmark, France, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom.
The first 18 shipyards will have exclusive access to the recycling ships flying the flags of the EU member states, according to the EC.
Adopted in 2013, the EU Ship Recycling Regulation requires all vessels sailing under an EU member state flag to use an approved ship recycling facility.
From a date set in the regulation to fall between mid-2017 and December 31, 2018, large commercial seagoing vessels flying the flag of an EU member state may be recycled only in safe and sound ship recycling facilities included in the European List of ship recycling facilities.
Along with the first version of the European List, the commission has adopted four further acts to implement the Ship Recycling Regulation, to provide information on hazardous materials in ships and facilitate the recycling process.
The regulation obliges all ships visiting European ports – irrespective of the flag they fly – to carry on board an inventory of hazardous materials from the end of 2020 onwards. The measure is expected to improve sourcing of quality ship parts globally and benefit European shipbuilding yards, according to the EC.
Already from the publication of the European List, all EU flagged ships going for dismantling must carry on board an inventory of hazardous materials.