image ship recycling

Ships on completing their normal life cycle are taken to ship recycling (read breaking) yards. In the ship recycling yards, ships are dismantled (read broken) and all possible materials that were used to construct and commission the ships are removed for reuse. Unskilled manpower is the largest and very critical resource used in ship recycling industry.

Materials removed are:

  • Steel
  • Non ferrous material like aluminium, copper, brass
  • Wooden and other furnitures
  • Working and non working electrical, electronic and mechanical equipments,tools and spares
  • Oil and other petro products
  • Plastics and other synthetics
  • Thermal, acoustic insulation material

The following industries/agencies are directly and indirectly involved:

  • Directly involved
    • Shipping companies
    • Ship brokers,suppliers
    • Marine exporters
    • Wood and furniture industry
    • Manpower agency
    • Transporters
  • Indirectly involved
    • Steel industry
    • Non ferrous industry
    • Oil processing industry
    • Machinery parts traders
    • Marine Training Institutes


In fact ship recycling is reverse engineering of ship building. But the recycling industry is presently unsafe and lacks the following:

ship recycling hazards

To streamline Ship Recycling Industry, IMO through ISO has come out with

  • the first document in the series, ISO/PAS 30000:2008, Ships and marine technology – Ship recycling management systems – Specifications for management systems for safe and environmentally sound ship recycling facilities is now accessible as a Publicly Available Specification (PAS) while awaiting publication as a full International Standard.
  • click here to download ISO/PAS 30000:2008 on payment.

The following publications are to be released by ISO in due course.

  • ISO 30001: Ship recycling management systems – Best practice for ship recycling facilities – Assessment and plans
  • ISO 30002: Ship recycling management systems – Guidelines for selection of ship recyclers (and pro forma contract)
  • ISO 30003: Ship recycling management systems – Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of ship recycling management systems
  • ISO 30004: Ship recycling management systems – Guidelines for implementing ISO 30000
  • ISO 30005: Ship recycling management systems – Information control for hazardous materials in the manufacturing chain of shipbuilding and ship operations
  • ISO 30006: Ship recycling management systems – Guidelines on surveying of ships for hazardous materials and minimum amount or content of hazardous materials to be reported
  • ISO 30007: Ship recycling management systems – Methods to remove asbestos in ships

OldSailor welcomes the initiative taken by ISO to streamline ship recycling industry.

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