A. Introduction

24.001 While there is usually publicity surrounding the launching or maiden voyage of vessels, there is usually little coverage about the dismantling of vessels. In reality, the dismantling of vessels can have dramatic consequences: for example, employees working on the dismantling exercise can be injured, infected or killed due to the poor working conditions in so-called “breaker’s yards” which could be nothing more than beaches. It is therefore not surprising that the world community and the European Union (“EU”) have become concerned about ship dismantling. Given the significant environmental dimension then it is also not surprising that the notion that ships (or parts of ships) could be recycled has also come into focus. This chapter considers the interrelated issues of ship dismantling and ship recycling.