European ship owners own 35% of the world fleet. A large percentage of these is being dismantled on beaches in South Asia, under conditions which are often harmful to workers’ health and the environment. From 31 December 2018, the EU Ship Recycling Regulation requires all large sea-going vessels sailing under an EU Member State flag to use an approved ship recycling facility included in the European List. With the adoption of the updated List, the European Commission has taken an important step to help ensure that ships are recycled in facilities that are safe for workers and environmentally sound.

EU Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Karmenu Vella said: “The EU is committed to reducing the impact of EU shipping industry on the environment, including through better protection of environment and workers in ship recycling. The updated List will increase the recycling capacity of the European List, and give European ship owners a wider range of recycling options.”

The new yards in Denmark and Norway have been notified to the Commission by the competent national authorities, as required under the EU Ship Recycling Regulation. The new yard in Turkey has submitted an application for inclusion in the European List to the Commission and demonstrated that it fulfils the strict requirements for inclusion in the List.  

In addition, another 28 yards located outside the EU have applied for inclusion in the European List of ship recycling facilities. The Commission is currently assessing how these yards comply with the requirements for such inclusion. This work is ongoing; the applications are being thoroughly reviewed and site inspections conducted to check their credentials.