New shipbreaking solutions are under development in northern Germany. Two companies plan to demonstrate that it is also possible here – in a way that is eco-friendly, innovative and economical.
Credits: Christoph Assies TEXT FOTO MEDIA, Karoline Wolf, EWD Benli, Leviathan, Jörg Sarbach
In May 2025, Emder Werft und Dock (EWD) was the first company in Germany to acquire regulatory approval for ship recycling. The idea is to disassemble and recycle small inland, coaster and government vessels as well as German naval vessels up to 200 metres in length on EWD’s factory premises at the Port of Emden. “We can offer competitive prices here,” says Sebastian Jeanvré, who has a PhD in processing engineering and, with Björn Sommer, forms the joint leadership of EWD Benli Recycling.
“The idea came about five years ago, as we’d been doing similar activities by that time and already fulfilled the technical requirements for ship recycling.” Jeanvré is also Managing Director of ReLog, a company that specialises in the planning and implementation of industrial dismantling projects and ship, engine and aircraft recycling.
There is a particularly high demand for these services among port operators, river police and German maritime police, as there are a great many ships with an average age of 40 years or more, and correspondingly quite a few units up to 80 years of age or even older.
A laser focus on old ships
Two medium-sized old ships can be recycled every month, a process that includes documenting the ship, putting it into dry dock and removing hazardous substances and materials. However, the latter can be quite challenging. “Unlike with aircraft, which are produced in standard series, it’s often unclear how older, smaller ships were built and what was installed,” explains Jeanvré. “That’s why we plan to develop processes for laser-based analysis of ship structure and set-up of a corresponding database for mapping recyclable and hazardous materials – as part of a research project.”
After disassembly of the individual components, all that is left is an old ship free of any fluids or hazardous materials. Only then can it be broken down and processed. Depending on the size of the ship and the amount of work, it takes at least four weeks to complete these steps of the process. Once EWD Benli has fulfilled all the secondary requirements of the approval process, things can get started in Emden. “It looks like we’ll begin operating in the fourth quarter,” says Jeanvré.
Leviathan, a ship recycling specialist founded in 2021 and based in Bremen, is also pursuing an ambitious plan, which is to build a highly automated, nearly emissions-free recycling facility – with a vision of CO2-free operation that is based on renewable energies and Industry 4.0 technologies and closes material cycles for maximum resource efficiency. Unlike its competitors, Leviathan is not planning a shipyard in the traditional sense, but rather purely a recycling infrastructure that specialises in cargo ships on a large scale. “Only large steel flows can pique the interest of steelworks,” emphasises Leviathan co-founder Simeon Hiertz.
No fire, no emissions
According to Hiertz, the Leviathan process differs fundamentally from that of conventional shipbreaking in terms of the technology. “We only use cold-cutting techniques. We don’t use flame-cutting. So we don’t have any combustion gases with the corresponding emissions,” explains Hiertz. Harmful substances both in solid and liquid form can thus be systematically captured and treated. All the work is done on fully impermeable surfaces, which is a key component of the concept. “So there’s no risk of unintentionally releasing any environmentally hazardous substances.”
The idea is to be able to process all types of ships up to the maximum size of the planned facility of around 350 metres. “We’re focusing on bulk carriers,” says Hiertz. “There are currently few sensible options for an environmentally responsible end to the life cycle of these ships.” Leviathan’s business model is also different from traditional shipbreaking. “Our main customers are steelworks,” says Hiertz. “We offer shipping companies an attractive solution for old tonnage and purchase their ships. But the turnover stems from the steelworks.”
Binding global regulations for ship recycling from 2030
The Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships was adopted in 2009, and the EU Regulation on ship recycling in 2013. With all 24 of the required country signatures finally acquired, the Hong Kong International Convention has taken effect 16 years later. As of 2030, shipowners, flag states and shipbreaking yards will need to observe the internationally applicable ship recycling regulations. Shipbreaking yards will need to be certified in the future. The Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM) will be binding on a global basis by 2030, but has been required for EU flagships since the mid-2010s.
Under the leadership of Raimund Bleischwitz, the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT) conducted a study on the potential of ship recycling and presented the results in November 2023, revealing just how high the potential order volume is and highlighting the economic and environmental opportunities of a maritime recycling cluster. According to the study, up to 25 ships could be disassembled in Bremen alone annually, which would mean potential scrapping of around 100,000 tonnes and an economic figure of more than 100 million euros.
Up to 15,000 ships around the world could be decommissioned by 2035. Securing some of these dismantling projects in northern Germany would be an incentive for the region’s maritime industry – and a win for sustainability and technological innovation.(cb)
