Chris Horrocks
Secretary-General: International Chamber of Shipping
Well I think the principal one, is raising the profile and raising understanding. I can honestly say that after 30 years in the industry, this was not an issue that even crossed my desk once, until two or three years ago. We simply had no contact with ship recycling industry. It was something way down the road. We are now aware of the problem, [but] there's a limit to what we can do. We can only cajole and encourage within the shipowning industry. If regulation comes, regulation will come, but that regulation from the [ship] owner's side clearly stop short of facilities and conditions in the recycling yards themselves.

Shot of ship's propeller

Chris Horrocks
Secretary-General: International Chamber of Shipping
Today the shipowner has very little say over where his ship is ultimately broken up. He's selling to an intermediary, the intermediary is the guy who is responsible for determining where the ship will be sold on to. It is possible for the owner, of course, to contract directly with the shipyard, but your average ship owner, owning maybe half a dozen ships, simply does not have those contacts.

Narrator:
Who then is ultimately responsible? The maritime magazine Lloyds List foresees the number of srappable ships trippling in the coming years as vessels built during the 70s boom become obsolete and unseaworthy. The increasing number of ships to be scrapped will force shipbreaking yards to work faster, as more boats come ashore. Yet there may be a positive side to this race against rust. More boats may mean more pressure to improve working conditions as the industry expands.