Page 17 from: November 2007

N E W S

International body for ship recycling
Representatives of the shipping

industry have founded the
International Ship Recycling
Association (ISRA). Two yards in
China and six in Turkey, as well as a
Dutch and a US facility, have
already secured their membership,
together with the Ship Association of
Turkey.

According to ISRA’s Chair Liu
Guohong, it is important to handle
ship recycling on a global scale. ‘With
the foundation of the ISRA, we can
start to work on the international
legislation of this important issue in
our industry,’ she says. ‘As responsi-
ble ship recyclers, we can join our
forces against the dreadful practices
of countries that allow beaching
methods. We want this organisation
to bring a voice to the IMO. We want
to show the world things can be done

in a green, high-quality way and
there can still be a return.’

ISRA will strive to promote the
exchange of knowledge, experience,
ideas, new developments and train-
ing programmes, as well as to help
create a worldwide ship dismantling
industry operating to a high environ-
mentally-sound and technical level.
To this end, members must agree to
have their yards certified to the lat-
est standards.

The organisation will also look to
encourage yards in the developing
countries to join its ranks, adding
that these must accept the ISRA
guidelines and must be willing to
invest in upgrading their facilities to
the required level.

ISRA will promote alternatives to
beaching vessels and the protection
of its members’ return on invest- ment. Another important goal is to

change the image of the dismantling
industry and make ship recycling
more attractive to shipowners.

Founded in The Netherlands
under Dutch law, ISRA’s secretariat
will be located in The Hague. Yards
which have successfully applied for
membership of ISRA are as follows:

Chine Jiang Xiajang Changjiang

Shiprepair Yard and Zhongxin Ship
Recycling & Steel Co. (both from
China); OGe Gemi Sokum, Cemas
Celik, Leyal Ship Recycling, Adem
Simsek & Simsekler Group, Demtas
and Dortel Ship Recycling Limited &
Co. (all from Turkey); Sparrows
Point Shipyard (USA); and Scheeps –
sloperij Nederland BV (the
Netherlands).

‘As responsible ship recyclers, we can join our forces against the dreadful practices of countries
that allow beaching methods,’ says ISRA.

Recycling International • November 2007 17

Taiwan’s recycling
plants under scrutiny

A group of foreign resource recy-
cling professionals have visited
plants in Kaohsiung County in
southern Taiwan to acquire a bet-
ter understanding of the country’s
recycling performance, a Taiwanese
Environmental Protection Admini –
strat ion (EPA) official has con-
firmed.

According to Liu Juei-hsiang,
Deputy Executive Secretary of the
EPA’s Recycling Fund Management
Board, the group of professionals
were in Taiwan to attend the
Resource Recycling Forum at the
Taipei World Trade Center in early
October. Delegates visiting the
plants included: Hirotaka Ohki,
Senior Managing Director of the
Japan Automobile Recycling

Promotion Center; Bertrand
Schultz, President of the European
Battery Recycling Association; and
Steve Andrews, Director of the
UK’s Department of Enterprise,
Business and Innovation. They vis-
ited Thye Ming Industrial Co. in
Taliao, which recycles around
36 000 tonnes of lead batteries per
year, and an environmental engi-
neering company that has boosted
its recycling rate from 65% in 2001
to 72% in 2007.

Taiwan boasts more than 500 re –
source recycling plants and over 200
factories reusing recycled resources.
It recycles around 220 000 vehicles
every year, and enjoys a recycling
rate greater than 70% when it
comes to lead batteries.

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RI_023 News:Opmaak 1 08-11-2007 09:12 Pagina 17