seatec - Finnish marine technology review 2/2017 | Page 34

The repair yard already has environmental certificates for ship repairs, but needs a few extra clearances to start demolitions. “ European ships will have to be demolished within the EU. T he European Union is seeking to rec- of ships is safe for both the environment ship weighing thousands of tonnes – are tify the situation by mandating that and people. At the moment, however, no demolished every year world-wide. Up to ships that have sailed under EU Member Member State has a permanent demoli- 90% of the weight consists of ship steel State flags must undergo certified demo- tion site for ships longer than 100 metres. and other materials that can be recycled. lition – within the EU. A new EU Directive The issue is not exactly a tiny one. Following the demolition, the materials on the matter ensures that the demolition Almost a thousand ocean liners – each can be worth millions of euros. FINNOVATION IN THE WORKS Finnish maritime industry is throwing its hat in the ring, since the local companies are able to demolish ships of all sizes in a way that is sustainable for the environ- ment and people. Funded by the Finnish innovation agency Tekes, a new undertaking – by the name of the Ship Recycling project – has set out to investigate how Finland could respond to this global challenge. The project consortium includes Turku Repair Yard Ltd, Meriaura Ltd, Delete Finland and Industrial and Ship Cleaning Services Hans Langh. The Ship Recycling project aims to launch a genuine ship demolition indus- try in Finland. The creation of a such an industry would create new jobs in Finland and provide opportunities for subcontrac- tors, too. MAKE THE LIST “The Finnish maritime industry is a very well-functioning community,” says Kim Kangas, Managing Director of Turku Repair Yard. 34 seatec 2/2017 Under the new EU Directive, ships can only be demolished by parties that have been