4/24/23, 8:25 AM Green Ship Recycling — Basel Action Network

About Us  What We Do  News Support Us  DONATE

Green Ship Recycling

BAN ensures ships are recycled properly

instead of being dismantled on beaches or sunk
in the oceans

Photo (above): Workers and

Beaches of shame - Eng AL JAZEERA
obsolete ships on a
Tomaso Clavarino
shipbreaking yard in South
Asia

By the Numbers
05:01

Globally, 1026 ships were

dismantled in 2014.

641 ships, or 74% of the

total gross tonnage of
Ships Transport up to 90% of What we Buy dismantled ships, were
https://www.ban.org/green-ship-recycling 1/7
4/24/23, 8:25 AM Green Ship Recycling — Basel Action Network

Our global economy relies on ships to transport cargo, people, and scrapped in beach
even weapons. Although the flow is never-ending, individual ships only shipbreaking yards in India,
last so long. Pakistan, and Bangladesh

When a cargo ship becomes too expensive to maintain and repair after Source: NGO Shipbreaking
about 25-30 years in service, shipping companies decommission it and Platform
have it scrapped for the valuable metals aboard.

The same is true for any type of ship, including cruise ships.

Connect with BAN
Valuable Components
Ships contain both valuable and toxic materials. Some of the valuable
materials are:

• Steel – up to 95% of a ship’s weight is in steel

NEWSLETTER SIGN-
• Aluminum
UP
• Silver

• Brass
• And more… By the Numbers

Old ships are a valuable source of scrap steel for construction To date, BAN’s green ship
industries. Recycling ships recirculates these metals throughout the recycling campaign has
economy for reuse. prevented 17 cargo and US
Navy ships from being
Toxic Components beached or sunk in the
Along with the valuable metals, some of the toxic components aboard ocean.
and in ships are:

• Lead

• Mercury

• Asbestos
• Oil sludge

• Bilge water, containing oil, urine, detergents, and solvents

• Ballast water, containing plants, viruses, and bacteria picked up
along the journey

• Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)

• Anti-fouling paint containing biocides, such as tributyltin (TBT)

• And more…

These are dangerous substances that must be managed properly to

avoid any potential negative environmental and human health impacts.

The Basel Convention

https://www.ban.org/green-ship-recycling 2/7
4/24/23, 8:25 AM Green Ship Recycling — Basel Action Network

Because ships contain these toxic components, old ships are

hazardous waste. The United Nations Basel Convention, which restricts
the global trade of toxic waste, restricts the trade of old ships.

BAN aims to ensure that old ships are recycled responsibly, instead of
exported to less developing countries, as outlawed by the Basel
Convention.

We also aim to help the US Navy recycle their old naval vessels
responsibly, instead of sinking them in the oceans.

Toxic Trade

A worker using a blowtorch at night. Copyright Pierre Torset. See more of Pierre’s
shipbreaking photos here.

https://www.ban.org/green-ship-recycling 3/7
4/24/23, 8:25 AM Green Ship Recycling — Basel Action Network

Too often, instead of having ships recycled at dry-dock ship recycling

facilities that properly manage these toxic chemicals, companies
offload ships to beach shipbreakers in developing countries.
Companies cut costs by exporting ships to impoverished countries,
taking advantage of their lax labor laws, weak environmental
regulations, and poor human rights track records.

This toxic trade disproportionately burdens the poorest of the poor with
the world’s toxic waste.

Companies sail these huge vessels at full speed onto beaches in

Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan. When the tide recedes, locals
dismantle the ships for almost no pay.

Workers on shipbreaking yards carry heavy pieces of steel scrapped from ships

Shipbreaking
Across South Asia, once pristine beaches are now toxic shipbreaking
yards. At high tides each month, companies sail huge vessels at full
speed up onto the shores. When the tides recede, local workers begin
tearing the ships apart, piece by piece.

Without safety gear – in baseball caps and flip flops, or boots if they’re
lucky – boys and young men cut wires, blast through ship hulls with
blowtorches, and haul huge pieces of scrap metal using their bare
hands.

Lacking basic occupational health and safety precautions, the number

of injuries and deaths among workers is high. The International Labour
Organization considers beach shipbreaking one of the most dangerous
jobs in the world.

The toxins that poison workers also poison beaches. These delicate,
intertidal costal zones are especially ecologically fragile, yet beach

https://www.ban.org/green-ship-recycling 4/7
4/24/23, 8:25 AM Green Ship Recycling — Basel Action Network

shipbreaking companies don’t take any precautions to protect them.

Many toxins soak straight through the soft sands, polluting the water
and washing out to sea. Local waterways are cloudy with particles, far
from the picturesque image of a beach with clear, turquoise-blue
waters. In Bangladesh alone, 21 species of fish have gone extinct and 11
have become endangered due to shipbreaking.

Ship Recycling
Fortunately, there’s a viable alternative to dangerous shipbreaking:
responsible ship recycling.

Instead of dismantling ships on beaches, letting toxins flow out to

waterways, and endangering the lives of their labor force, ship
recyclers have dry-dock facilities that capture toxic waste and proper
safety procedures that protect workers.

Ship recycling facilities like this exist right here in the United States, in
Texas, Louisiana, and Maryland. The more ships these facilities recycle,
the more green jobs they create. Protecting the environment from toxic
ships comes with the added bonus of creating more green recycling
jobs.

BAN and Ship Recycling

BAN’s green ship recycling program advocates for responsible
recycling that ensures proper management of toxins and respects
human rights.

https://www.ban.org/green-ship-recycling 5/7
4/24/23, 8:25 AM Green Ship Recycling — Basel Action Network

Workers on shipbreaking yards disassemble every piece of a ship

BAN Prevents Shipbreaking

BAN raises awareness of shipbreaking issues, including tracking ships
about to be sent to shipbreaking yards. We advocate against
shipbreaking and for responsible recycling.

We’re a member of the NGO Shipbreaking Platform, a global coalition

of environmental, human rights, and labor rights organizations also
preventing ships from being beached in developing countries. We also
encourage shipping companies to take the Off the Beach! pledge to
use responsible recycling facilities for their decommissioned fleet.

BAN Prevents Sinking

We promote recycling as the true solution for the US Navy’s old
vessels.

Too often, the Navy sinks old vessels for target practice, a practice
called sinking exercise, or SINKEX for short. Sinking these ships means
the toxic materials aboard aircraft carriers, minesweepers, and more
end up in the oceans, polluting our waterways and even our food web.

Over the years, our continued advocacy with the Environmental

Protection Agency (EOA) and the Maritime Administration (MARAD) has
created greater coordination between the two groups, which means
more gets accomplished faster.

Basel Advocacy Electronics Stewardship Plastic Pollution Prevention

Basel Action Network About Us What We Do News Support Us

80 Yesler Way, Suite #300 History Basel Advocacy Give D
Seattle, WA 98104 Mission Electronics Watch Our Films
Staff Stewardship Careers

https://www.ban.org/green-ship-recycling 6/7
4/24/23, 8:25 AM Green Ship Recycling — Basel Action Network
Board Investigative Volunteer
T +1 (206) 652-5555 Supporters Watchdog Find Responsible Recyclers
Search
Financial Information Green Ship Recycling
Contact BAN's Wiki
BAN's Photos

© 2015 Basel Action Network (BAN). All Rights Reserved. Designed by Jess Yu

https://www.ban.org/green-ship-recycling 7/7