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By the time they're beached, they're not owned by a Western company. They've been sold for scrap to the scrappers. "right now, selling a vessel to a beaching f

By the time they're beached, they're not owned by a Western company. They've been sold for scrap to the scrappers. "right now, selling a vessel to a beaching facility would get maybe $500 (£371) per tonne." https://www.chemistryworld.com/features/the-toxic-tide-of-ship-breaking/4015158.article https://www.chemistryworld.com/features/the-toxic-tide-of-sh...

Swenrekcah 4y ago
But they all know what’s going to happen when they sell to the scrappers. It’s disgusting and should be illegal.
- e40 4y ago
  You build it, you recycle it in a way that isn't detrimental to the health and safety of humans. That should be the (international) law.
  - wahnfrieden 4y ago
    No profit in eliminating foreign externalities. Your faith in capitalist law and liberal democracy reforming these problems is curious
    - Y_Y 4y ago
      I'm sure you could just contrive an accidental sinking, or even better have the ship taken by "pirates" who happen to leave some cash in the lifeboats with the dispossessed.
      - ClumsyPilot 4y ago
        need to collect that cash as evidence
    - refurb 4y ago
      It's unenforceable regardless. You think some poor African nation cares about worker safety and environmental issues when half of their population can barely get enough to eat? Hell, they barely have control over their own country let alone enforcing environmental or worker regulations.
      - deleted 4y ago
        [deleted]
  - badpun 4y ago
    Any long-term commitments can be potentially worked around via bankrupcy. As long as we allow companies to take the full responsibility for consequences of their actions, and completely absolve their owners, the system will not work that great.
- gpm 4y ago
  Seems like you'd have to just outright ban selling it to foreign owners? Otherwise someone will make a "legitimate" business in a country that doesn't ban selling to (non-compliant) scrappers, whose job in life is to purchase old ships and sell them to scrappers. Maybe hanging on to them for a bit first to make it slightly less blatant...
jahewson 4y ago
Juuuust before they're beached: > ‘There’s also the Basel Convention, which is on the trans-boundary movements of hazardous wastes, such as end-of-life vessels.’ The problem is that a vessel only counts as hazardous waste once the company announces its intention to dispose of it. ‘It’s very easy for ship owners to simply claim that they’re on an operational voyage, sail all the way to India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, and only then declare that the vessel is actually heading for scrap. It makes it impossible to enforce that piece of law.
roflyear 4y ago
That seems like a lot of money.

Swenrekcah 4y ago

But they all know what’s going to happen when they sell to the scrappers. It’s disgusting and should be illegal.

e40 4y ago
You build it, you recycle it in a way that isn't detrimental to the health and safety of humans. That should be the (international) law.
- wahnfrieden 4y ago
  No profit in eliminating foreign externalities. Your faith in capitalist law and liberal democracy reforming these problems is curious
  - Y_Y 4y ago
    I'm sure you could just contrive an accidental sinking, or even better have the ship taken by "pirates" who happen to leave some cash in the lifeboats with the dispossessed.
    - ClumsyPilot 4y ago
      need to collect that cash as evidence
  - refurb 4y ago
    It's unenforceable regardless. You think some poor African nation cares about worker safety and environmental issues when half of their population can barely get enough to eat? Hell, they barely have control over their own country let alone enforcing environmental or worker regulations.
    - deleted 4y ago
      [deleted]
- badpun 4y ago
  Any long-term commitments can be potentially worked around via bankrupcy. As long as we allow companies to take the full responsibility for consequences of their actions, and completely absolve their owners, the system will not work that great.
gpm 4y ago
Seems like you'd have to just outright ban selling it to foreign owners? Otherwise someone will make a "legitimate" business in a country that doesn't ban selling to (non-compliant) scrappers, whose job in life is to purchase old ships and sell them to scrappers. Maybe hanging on to them for a bit first to make it slightly less blatant...

jahewson 4y ago

Juuuust before they're beached: > ‘There’s also the Basel Convention, which is on the trans-boundary movements of hazardous wastes, such as end-of-life vessels.’ The problem is that a vessel only counts as hazardous waste once the company announces its intention to dispose of it. ‘It’s very easy for ship owners to simply claim that they’re on an operational voyage, sail all the way to India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, and only then declare that the vessel is actually heading for scrap. It makes it impossible to enforce that piece of law.

roflyear 4y ago

That seems like a lot of money.