Turkish and European civil society is urging the EU to revoke the approvals of ship recycling yards that put workers and the environment at risk. In an open letter to the European Commission<\/a>, a broad coalition of Turkish NGOs, lawyers, unions and city councils, backed by Brussels-based NGO Shipbreaking Platform and the European Environmental Bureau (EEB)<\/strong>, demand the immediate withdrawal of all EU approvals granted to ship recycling facilities in Alia\u011fa, Turkey<\/strong>, under Article\u202f23 of the EU Ship Recycling Regulation<\/a> [1].<\/p>\n The letter highlights several infringements of the SRR, including environmental and public health risks linked to <\/strong>regulatory exemptions<\/strong><\/a>, gaps in law enforcement, <\/strong>illegal waste dumping<\/strong><\/a>, and contamination by heavy metals and other pollutants.<\/strong><\/p>\n The coalition held a press conference in Izmir on 18 November<\/a>. The signatories argue that the existing approvals effectively legitimise practices that would never be allowed in any EU Member State, creating a dangerous double standard that exposes workers and communities to environmental and occupational hazards.<\/p>\n The signing parties call on the European Commission to:<\/p>\n Signatories also raise concerns about the Commission\u2019s ongoing assessment of applications from Indian \u2018beaching\u2019 yards. Beaching \u2013 the practice of dismantling ships directly on tidal mudflats \u2013 is expressly forbidden in the EU. The NGOs urge the Commission to adopt a consistent, zero tolerance policy toward any shipbreaking method that cannot guarantee full containment of pollutants and protection of workers from occupational hazards and fatal accidents<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Eva Bille, Head of Circular Economy at the EEB, said:<\/p>\n \u201cWhile the EU focuses on championing a single market for raw materials, it turns a blind eye to ship recycling yards plagued by labour and environmental abuses. The EU must apply the precautionary principle and remove these facilities from the Ship Recycling Regulation list immediately.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n In December 2023, NGO Shipbreaking Platform published a thorough report on ship recycling in Turkey<\/a>, highlighting systemic failures across the sector. Further submissions regarding updates to the EU list are available here<\/a>, here<\/a>, and here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Ekin Sakin, Policy Officer at NGO Shipbreaking Platform, said:<\/p>\n \u201cThe EU list should represent a level-playing field, and must not legitimise bad practices and double standards in the sector. This is something we strongly condemn, and, therefore we take action and support the local civil society.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n To be included in the European List, any ship recycling facility, irrespective of its location, must comply with strict safety and environmental requirements<\/strong>. Currently, more than half of EU-flagged vessels are dismantled in Alia\u011fa, where 11 of the 22 local yards are already EU-approved, and five additional facilities are seeking approval.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n