Swansea Ship Recycling?
From our UK correspondent Sarah Dickins comes news that a new company, Swansea Drydocks Ltd, has been formed to undertake the business of marine unit and ship repairs, maintenance and recycling in the Port of Swansea, Wales.
The company aims to offer a “cradle-to-grave” service to the shipping industry by creating a facility that will build upon Swansea’s tradition of ship repair, while also meeting the growing demand in Europe for environmentally responsible ship recycling facilities.
SDL is going before a Swansea planning committee to present plans to invest over UK£4m in refurbishment, machinery and equipment and to recruit, train and continuously develop a multi-skilled team of around 85 full time employees, whose activities will also create new jobs amongst suppliers in Swansea, Wales.
The current dry dock facility presents a commercial opportunity and SDL aims to invest in its machinery, equipment and people. It aims to provide a full life-cycle relationship with ship owners, from developing the inventory of hazardous materials, ongoing repair and maintenance and recycling of the vessel. It will also help increase the UK’s capacity to recycle its own ships rather than selling them on to shipbreakers in countries that have few or no environmental and health and safety regulations.
