Scotland eyes major ship recycling hub

UK company Atlas Decommissioning, which specialises in the end-of-life disposal of marine infrastructure, has won contracts with various container lines to dismantle vessels from their trading fleet.

One hundred jobs could be created at Inchgreen dry dock in Greenock, Scotland which has been disused for decades. Atlas will develop the facility into a major export hub for recyclable metals recovered from ships dismantled responsibly according to global best practice.  The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency has granted the parties involved a waste management licence. 

‘Inchgreen, as well as its size, also has direct access to very deep water, says Mike Wood, project director of Atlas Decommissioning. ‘As a facility for the contracts we have in place, I’d go as far as to say it is unique in the UK. There is also the attraction of a skilled workforce in Inverclyde due to its shipbuilding legacy. What we are doing here is essentially shipbuilding in reverse and that requires much of the same engineering excellence and expertise.’

Peel Ports director Jim McSporran adds: ‘We are fully committed to having Inchgreen, which was a jewel in the crown of Scotland, back in full industrial use. That usage will pay full regard to such important issues as circularity and sustainability, as with this deal.’