The EC Revokes Authorization for Two Turkish Shipyards

The European Commission published on December 14 the tenth version of the list of authorized facilities for ship recycling. This edition adds a new facility in Bulgaria and extends the validity of the authorization for two others: one in France and another in Lithuania.

The Commission has revoked the authorization of two Turkish facilities and removed them from the list for failing to meet the requirements of the Regulation. According to the Commission, in the first facility, the working conditions of its employees were not sufficiently protected, resulting in two fatal accidents. In the second facility, there were indications of a lack of transparency in the dismantling operations of some ships, which were sent to other facilities not included in the Commission's list.

Spain maintains its two authorized facilities: DDR Vessels, in the port of El Musel (Asturias) and DINA, in Baracaldo (Vizcaya); which have a combined annual recycling capacity of around 5,600 LDT (according to the documentation provided to the Commission, this capacity could reach 66,000 LDT).

After this update, the list includes a total of 45 authorized facilities:

• 38 in European countries (including the EU, Norway, and the UK): Norway (8), Denmark (6), Netherlands (5), France and Lithuania (4 in each country), United Kingdom (3), Spain (2), and Belgium, Bulgaria, Estonia, Italy, Latvia, and Finland (1).
• 7 in third countries: Turkey (6) and the USA (1).

The European Commission's list still does not include facilities from Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan, the three main powers in the sector, responsible for 88% of the recycled tonnage worldwide in 2021, according to data from The Shipbreaking Platform.

Photo: @twitter