I confront Danwatch - Maersk on the problem of the sustainable recycling of the ships



The Danish center of investigative journalism Danwatch has turned own attention to the problem of the activities of demolition of the ships on the spiagge of the Asian south-east, in particular in the area of Alang, carried out adopting insufficient or nothing measures for the safeguard and safety of the attache's and the atmosphere, job that is condensed in along article in which it is evidenced as threats, fear and inadequate protective devices until the agenda in the yards of naval demolition in India, plants - it has emphasized Danwatch - where currently is in phase of dismantling two ships of the Maersk group, that it is the main Danish shipowning society let alone first world-wide company in the segment of the marine transport of the container.

In particular, Danwatch has put under accusation the new program of Maersk for digestion of the old or obsolete ships of own fleet that previews the shipment of these units near the Indian yard of the group Shee Ram, plant that is certifyd according to the Convention of Hong Kong for the recycling in charge of the ships and with which the Danish group it has signed agreements so that the activities of money laundering of the ships happen with responsible and sustainable modalities ( of 11 February and 13 May 2016).

"First to being demolished - it has specified Danwatch - will be the portacontainer from 20.000 tons Maersk Wyoming and Maersk Georgia. The saving of Maersk - it has supported the center of investigative journalism - will be pairs to one-two million dollars for ship demolished regarding carried out the more responsible and modern operations of demolition in China and Turkey that the company has used in the past". Remembering that the shipowning group has motivated this decision allegating that the initiative will provoke to the improvement of the activities of naval demolition in India elevating some the standards, Danwatch however has accused Maersk to have "changed broken".

In order to assess the real conditions of job on the spiagge of Alang, the journalists of Danwatch have gone on the spot and - being successful to enter in the yard Shree Ram being avoided the controls of the attache's to the surveillance - they have announced to have stated that the operations of dismantling of the two ships of the Maersk would happen without the employment of the basic equipments of protection.

In the report the journalists bring back declarations of workers and of assigned of the local structure hospital worker who specify that there are still incidents, with hurt or dead, and that however the numbers are down even if the budget of the victims is still too much elevated.

Beyond having answered to the questions of the journalists of Danwatch, Maersk has intended today to clarify ulteriorly the issue with an official notice in which it has restated that the choice of the group "is clear. A possibility - it has clarified Maersk - is that to continue to attend a total agreement while hundreds of ships continue to being dismantled on the spiagge of India, Bangladesh and Pakistan or to act quickly and to begin to improve the conditions in the yards. This - it has evidenced the Danish company - is that we have made in Maersk. We more passively have chosen not to be on the other side of the door of the ship yard, but instead engaging us directly whereby the majority of the ships they are demolished. This is the reason for which we have started a collaboration with the yards in India".

Moreover Maersk has restated that he is however indispensable and urgent to find however a solution total: "the problem - it has observed Annette Stube, responsible Sostenibilità near the Danish group - will become still acute in the next few years, with an increasing number of ships to recycle to total level. However - it has specified - this is not simple. For to have succeeded the solution must be sustainable and acceptable for the atmosphere, the place of job and also commercially. It would be a failure if the navigation companies that assume responsibility had to lose their competitiveness ultimately prejudicing their survival. The global environment and the atmosphere of job would not earn aught from this. We must remember - it has evidenced Stube - than are countries for which the naval demolition constitutes an important source of job and business".

"Until now - it has continued Stube - we have attended in vain for seven years the attainment of a total agreement on the recycling of the ships. Although the great efforts for ratify it universal of the Convention of Hong Kong of the United Nations, that it is negotiated near the International Maritime Organization and that defines the standards total minimums in topic of safety and atmosphere, are still in wait. We have attended from 2009, when we have introduced politics of recycling responsible and expressed our support to the Convention of Hong Kong".

"While - he has specified Stube - we recognize and admit that ours cession contracts not always have corresponded to the intentions of our politics of recycling. We have learned from this. We have improved our contractual procedures and requirement, but also we are realized that the solution is not found very with which drafted contracts and that can pass much time before a total agreement takes effect. Instead, the answer is on the spiagge of India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. As greater company than navigation container to the world, we have decided to begin from here. We have asked a series for improvements the yards that wish to work with we and for giving to the yards of Alang in India who want a better future for himself and for own employee a financial incentive in order to improve their environmental conditions of job and".

"When we have decided to collaborate with the ship yards in India - it has emphasized the leader of the Maersk group - we were totally aware of the risk to be criticized because the yards do not respect the rules still totally. Obviously we are able to document the main improvements already reached and now we see that the engagement of the ship yards induces others to follow them. When we begin the negotiations for the recycling of the next ships we will invite a series of yards of Alang that, as Shree Ram, already follows the convention of Hong Kong and they will be engaged to satisfy our standards. Four yards - Stube has announced - have announced that they are ready and they have started new investments in improvements that already regard hundred of workers. We have undertaken actions instead waiting for field on board and - it has evidenced Stube - the results that we have reached in six months are very more complete and all-out regarding the seven years of attended for a total agreement. We have not renounced and we will continue to support the total initiatives times to guarantee which requisitioned uniforms international and conditions for all the companies and the ship yards. Only a total regulation - it has concluded Stube - will assure that the conditions of criticality to which we assist today are resolved".