Date of Award
2012
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Master of Science in Maritime Affairs
Specialization
Maritime Safety & Environmental Administration
Campus
Malmö, Sweden
Country
Japan
First Advisor
Baumler, Raphael.
Abstract
First of all, as a basis of the discussion in this dissertation, the international regulatory instruments which cover ship recycling industry, namely, the Basel Convention, 1989 and the Hong Kong Convention, 2009, are examined focusing on their essential principles and limitations. Second, the present conditions of the ship recycling industry in the Indian subcontinent are investigated in order to make clear the problems to be addressed. The focus of the investigation is set on ships’ potential hazards, environmental risks of the beaching method, hazardous waste flow, workers’ occupational safety and health, and causes of substandard recycling operations. Furthermore, the key efforts made by other regions to reform the whole industry are examined. Specifically, the European Union’s proposal of a new regulation on ship recycling is examined. In addition, the present actions taken by advanced recycling countries, that is, China and Turkey are investigated. Finally, the relevance of Japan in the ship recycling industry is clarified based on its specification in the maritime field. Then, Japan’s fundamental policies on ship recycling are introduced and analyzed to conclude how it will contribute to achieving sustainable, safe and environmentally sound ship recycling in the whole industry under the above regimes and industry’s conditions.