International Shipbreaking’s first EU ship recycling project, the MT Wolverine

International Shipbreaking, part of the world-leading recycler EMR Metal Recycling, has gained EU Ship Recycling Regulation (EU SSR) accreditation for its site in Brownsville, Texas, after investing $30 million in compliant infrastructure.

The Brownsville site is the first US shipbreaking site to achieve this accreditation. It can now help EU-based ship owners – as well as ships flying the flags of EU member states – to responsibly recycle their ships at the end of their life.

As of 2018, 90.4% of the world’s end-of-life vessels were broken up on the beaches of South-East Asia in rudimentary conditions, according to the NGO Shipbreaking Platform . The EU SRR aims to help responsible ship owners clean up their act and make the ship breaking industry greener and safer. Increasingly, banks and investors are unwilling to fund shipping companies who cannot prove that their ships are recycled responsibly.

Chris Green, Senior Manager at International Shipbreaking Ltd LLC, said: “We have just received and safely moored our first EU ship recycling project, the MT Wolverine. There is a big future in this industry and, over the past year we have seen three times the number of inquiries from EU ship owners. This indicates the shipping industry is taking more responsibility for how their ships are recycled, rather than using the South Asian shipbreaking beaches.”

“International Shipbreaking has been safely recycling ships and marine structures since 1995. During this time over 100 vessels have been recycled, with an excellent compliance record. Photos: International Shipbreaking