What is Green Ship Recycling & How is it helping the environment?

 

Ships have always been a significant part of every era. Europeans used waterways to explore new lands; the British navy was once the strongest in the world, and with that navy, Britain conquered almost half the world. So, ships aren’t the treasure of the modern world. However, one might wonder, if ships are that old, what happens when a ship is no longer functioning? It is quite an interesting question with an even more exciting answer. Well, in the olden days’ ships were mostly made of wood, and we know wood is degradable. So when a ship was no longer of any use, the wood that could be reused was recycled, and the rest of the ship was drowned. Because there weren't any toxic or non-degradable materials in ships, they would get decomposed over time. 

However, after the industrial revolution, things changed. Ships now had steel bodies, and different chemicals were used to ensure the lives of people onboard were no different from those on land. This is when the problem began. Now ships are no longer easy to get rid of. So, ship owners began abandoning the ships. This careless behavior caused a lot of environmental damage as the rust, chemicals, and toxic materials began leaking into the ocean, causing harmful impacts on marine life.

That’s why, when the problem of climate change became a global concern, shipping companies took it upon themselves to make sure that they set things right. Thus the concept of green ship recycling came into existence.

Green Ship Recycling

Now you may think, "What is green ship recycling?" In simple words, the green ship recycling method aids in the identification, storage, and safe disposal of ship components that are dangerous to both marine and human life. Removing the garbage from ship recycling, this method aids in the preservation of the marine ecosystem. Also, the green ship recycling industry utilizes salvageable components to build new vessels that promise resource savings by reusing salvageable recyclable components. Moreover, the efficient usage of the ship's components benefits the owner of the vessel.

Green Ship Recycling and the Environment

It is crucial to look at how the ship recycling businesses use green ship recycling to comprehend the significance of effective recycling. First, ships that are ready to be recycled are transported to scrap shipyards rather than being broken up on mudflats and at high tide. Here, under appropriate safety precautions, with the right tools and qualified people, these ships are successfully recycled. The harmful materials from the ship are safely disposed of, while the steel recycled from these ships is used to make rods, bars, and other goods. By generating jobs in steel mills, re-rolling mills, refurbished shops, and second-hand stores, these businesses not only help the environment but also aid the local economy.

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by using scrap metal rather than metal ore to make final products is another advantage of green ship recycling. When steel is produced from scrap metal rather than metal ore, emissions are decreased by 70%. Companies that recycle ships also lessen the demand for mining metal ores, which further lowers greenhouse gas emissions.

However, the effects of ship recycling go beyond this. Recycled ships in scrap yards reduce pollution of the air and water. The amount of air pollution, water pollution, and water use are all thought to be reduced by 86%, 76%, and 40%, respectively, when steel is produced from metal scrap.

Now that you see the impact of green ship recycling, it helps improve the environment, and the lives of coastal residents, and boost the economy. We must understand the necessity of sound ship recycling methods that do not cause adverse effects on the environment.