Waste and hazardous material handling at green ship recycling facilities

Abstract

The study aims to develop requirements for handling waste and hazardous materials at green ship recycling facilities in Indonesia. Since the implementation of the cabotage principle in 2005, the number of ships in Indonesia has increased significantly from 6,041 in 2005 to 37,722 in 2022, with 20 percent of them being over 30 years old. This creates a significant potential for ships that are no longer economically suitable for operation and need to be recycled. Additionally, there has been a continuous increase in domestic steel demand, for which raw materials could be supplied from the scrapped steel of old ships. Despite the abundance of old ships and the demand for steel, Indonesia has not been able to utilize the opportunity, because the ship recycling industry is far from compliant with the required international standards, in particular the Hong Kong Convention, and which compliance is urgently needed, especially in conjunction with the its upcoming entering into force on 26 June 2025. Ship recycling facilities in Indonesia are still behind concerning the handling of waste and hazardous materials, which is a crucial aspect in complying with international regulations. A literature study and in-depth discussions with experts in the field of ship recycling were carried out to compare the international regulations related to ship recycling with current Indonesian conditions and, based on the findings, the requirements for handling waste and hazardous materials were developed. It is concluded that the procedure would include planning for ship recycling process flow, identifying waste and hazardous materials, and deciding requirements for handling waste and hazardous materials. It is expected that the requirements would contribute to the development of Indonesia’s ship recycling industry to comply with the international regulations and gain international recognition. Highlights The ship recycling industry in Indonesia still lacks references regarding handling waste and hazardous materials Handling waste and hazardous materials is crucial in ship recycling activities Hong Kong Convention emphasizes the handling of hazardous substances and other materials in its definition of Green Ship Recycling Green ship recycling pays more attention to the safety and health of workers, as well as the environmental effects that arise during the ship recycling process Hazardous materials are classified into 3 categories: solid, liquid, and others, and each category requires a special handling method