Overview of ships broken up in 2007
For the 2nd consecutive year, Robin des Bois has been studying in detail the reality of the ship breaking market. The mobilisation and the analysis of about thirty diverse and specialised bibliographical sources made it possible to establish an inventory of the vessels sent to be demolished in 2007. In 2006, Robin des Bois tallied 293 vessels sold for demolition. In 2007, we listed 288 of them. If this decline in demolished vessels is modest (-2%), it is a little more significant with regard to the total weight of recycled metals: 1.7 million ton in 2007 against 1.9 million in 2006 (-10%). The situation differs however according to the category of ships considered: the number of tankers (oil tankers, chemical tankers, gas carriers) dismantled in 2007 increased by almost 30 % compared with 2006 whereas that of the bulk carriers and other general cargo ships decreased by almost 40 %; the average age of the tankers sent to demolition is 29 years, the average age for all the vessels is 31 years, the average age of bulk carriers 34 years.
Paranoia and Ghost Fleet
Since November 2003 four American vessels have been waiting to be demolished in the English port of Hartlepool. Following the legal harassment by the organisation Friends of the Earth, the dismantling is constantly delayed. From the beginning, Robin des Bois a non-governmental French organisation states that the British shipyard ABLE U.K in Hartlepool should be given permission to implement their contract to dismantle the retired US Navy freight ships. These ghost ships were towed to Hartlepool under an agreement between The United States and the British authorities. (See Robin des Bois press releases. “Un espoir pour les navires en fin de vie”, 8th December 2003 and “Another way of looking at the Clemenceau” 30th December 2005).
