Present and future

At present, the dismantling of ships mainly takes place on the beaches of South East Asia, China and Turkey, by the practice of “beaching”. , whereby the ships are abandoned on the shores of e.g. India and Bangladesh. The atrocious circumstances in which this takes place lead directly and indirectly to many, sometimes fatal, casualties. Besides this, the damage to the environment is considerable, not least because of the large-scale direct pollution caused by products such as asbestos and oil.

From recent legislation, it would appear that the members of Ecodock are not the only ones who find the practice of beaching unacceptable. This legislation involves a ban on single-hull tankers in the European Union from 2003 by the European Commission and – as decided in 2003 by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) International Maritime Organization (IMO) – a worldwide ban to take effect from 2010.

Ecodock will endeavour to develop a European standard in dismantling and recycling (referencing the IMO guidelines) whereby a “zero-pollution” method can be guaranteed, safeguarding human life and the environment.

The recycling yard at Eemshaven will serve as a pilot in the optimisation of the techniques and processes, with the aim of reproducing 30 to 40 yards worldwide.

Besides its core business, Ecodock will establish Ecodock Training B.V. to train future employees all over the world in the dismantling process. Ecodock will endeavour to improve the circumstances of the people in the developing countries, while maintaining employment levels.