GMS Urges Tanker Owners to Go the Extra Mile on Recycling Safety

Tanker owners need to adapt to the stricter requirements for cleaning vessels for hot works prior recycling amid harsher ship recycling requirements across the South Asia subcontinent, Global Marketing Systems (GMS), a cash buyer of ships for recycling, warned.

Earlier this year, tragic accidents aboard vessels that were not cleaned thoroughly led to a tragic loss of life and closure of the Pakistani market for over 8 months now.

“This should serve as a serious wake-up call to tanker owners that their vessels must be totally cleaned of all cargo residues, slops and sludges in all cargo and slop tanks in order to mitigate risks of an accident at recycling yards,” GMS stressed.

However, a few ship-owners are shying away from their responsibility, according to GMS, which is a dangerous precedent that must stop immediately.

“All in the shipping community need to sleep sound at night knowing that they have acted responsibly. Every effort should be made to prevent repeating of the awful accidents witnessed in Pakistan that led to the loss of life, enforced the closure of recycling markets, created negative publicity, reduced (financially beneficial) resale options, which ultimately resulted in lower prices for all wet units across the board,” GMS continued.

On the back of the said developments, the ship buyer said that it has developed the industry’s first guidelines for cleaning tankers for hot works prior delivery to recycling yards, in cooperation with recycling yards, ship managers, gas freeing professionals and ship owners.

As informed, the guidelines “go above and beyond” the routine requirements of gas freeing.

“We request owners to go the extra mile so that lives can be saved and safety standards further enhanced across a rapidly developing ship recycling sector,” GMS said.

Finally, the firm added that it has adopted a policy that all tankers purchased by its principals on “as is where is” basis will be cleaned according to the new guidelines.