Responsible ship recycling
Currently, the majority of the world’s container vessels are not recycled responsibly. The projected growth in demand for recycling capacity of large vessels adds to the urgency of creating responsible new solutions. As a leader in the shipping industry, Maersk has a responsibility to use our leverage to make a positive impact.
Why responsible ship recycling matters
Despite many shipowners having policies for responsible ship recycling, nearly 90% of the gross tonnage recycled is handled in sub-standard health, safety and environmental conditions.
With global ship recycling volumes predicted to double by 2028, and quadruple by 2033, urgent action is needed to ensure that the growth in demand for ship recycling services is met by suppliers with responsible practices.
Our ambition
As a responsible shipowner, Maersk will ensure safe and responsible recycling of our vessels at end-of-life, benefiting workers, the environment, responsible yards, and shipowners.
Our target
Highlights in 2024
Priorities and actions
To support a global transition towards a responsible, practice-driven, and financially viable ship recycling industry, our core priorities guide our work to deliver both short and long-term positive change.
Setting the bar in responsible ship recycling
Building capacity for unprecedented demand
Advocating for regulatory change
Support for industry standards
Download Maersk's Responsible Ship Recycling Standard (RSRS)
Explore our ship recycling activities
Alang impact assessment
The study covers the period 2017-2024 during which 17 vessels were responsibly recycled at six yards, engaging more than 1,200 workers
Archive of ship recycling activities
Featured highlights and case stories
Sustaining high standards in Alang
We continue our commitment and contribution to the broader development of the Alang area through funding a mobile health unit and awareness training for ship recycling workers. In 2024, the Mobile Health Unit provided 15,000 out-patient services.
Closing the post-Panamax capacity gap
A significant part of the global shipping fleet that will reach its end-of-service and be ready for recycling in the next decade will be in the “post-Panamax” category: vessels too large to navigate the Panama Canal, and too large to be responsibly recycled in most of the world’s available recycling facilities.
Maersk is working to create global opportunities for responsible post-Panamax ship recycling, where recycling capacity shortfalls can only be addressed through global consensus on the approval of more yards with appropriate safety and environmental standards. This global consensus should be based on the rules of the IMO’s “Hong Kong Convention” for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships.
Regulations remain a critical capacity enabler
Maersk continues engaging with stakeholders for a conducive regulatory environment, in 2024, addressing the key capacity challenge to meet increased ship recycling demand.
Maersk supports empanelment of eligible yards located outside the EU into approved lists of Ship Recycling Facilities and also recommends a focus on circularity in the revised EU Ship Recycling Regulation - such as the certification of recycled steel as “green steel”.
Ship recycling as resource to the steel industry
Maersk supports opportunities for ship recycling to contribute towards global steel decarbonisation efforts. This includes our ongoing engagement with several steel value chain players to understand their appetite to source steel from ship recycling. We contributed to a publication by the Sustainable Shipping Initiative on Green Steel and Shipping, available here, and also remain engaged with the SteelZero initiative (read more).
In 2024, Maersk signed a memorandum of understanding with Kingdom of Bahrain ministries that aims to develop local post-panamax recycling capacity and lower steel ecosystem GHG emissions through government and industry collaboration.
Annual Report 2024
Explore more Environment topics
Learn more about Maersk
Careers
Follow us on LinkedIn
