New Shipbreaking Facility in Africa Meets All EU Requirements

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The proposed new shipbreaking facility along the west coast of South Africa will be the first such facility in the entire African region to meet the standards prescribed by the European Commission (EC). The 34South facility is expected to become the first green, compliant, ship recycling centre in Africa.

During a presentation on the background and development of the facility, Hendrik Malan, partner and chief executive, Frost & Sullivan Africa highlighted the potentials of a shipbreaking facility in the region, especially on account of concerns around the industry in India and other Asian countries. Incidentally, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan makes up nearly 90% of the world’s ship recycling market.

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The European region lacks 10,000 ldt plus facilities, thus making it necessary for ships to be shifted to Asian destinations for decommissioning. The lower labour costs in South Africa compared to Europe, makes it a preferred destination for ship recycling operations. Also, one could save nearly 12,000 kilometres to send the ship to Africa, rather than sending it to Asian destinations for recycling.

The proposed facility will have capacity to handle vessels up to 18,000 ldt. It aims to decommission larger vessels in a responsible manner.