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Dismantling and recycling a seagoing vessel

If you are the owner of a seagoing merchant or fishing vessel that flies the flag of a European Union (EU) Member State or a country outside the EU and you wish to have it dismantled and recycled in the Netherlands, you must follow certain regulations.

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The rules for ship recycling in the Netherlands apply to:

  • Ships of 500 GT or more that have also sailed outside the waters of the EU Member State whose flag they fly, other than warships, naval auxiliaries or other ships owned or operated by a Member State and used, for the time being, only on government non-commercial service.
  • Ships of 500 GT or more that fly the flag of a non-EU Member State but are under the authority of the Dutch authorities (pursuant to Article 2(2) of the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships) and wish to be recycled in the Netherlands.

Recycling at an approved facility in the Netherlands

Both categories of ships must be recycled at an approved ship recycling facility. In the Netherlands, the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT) oversees this.

For other ships, the European Waste Shipment Regulation (EWSR, in Dutch) applies.

Step 1: Notification of intention to recycle the ship

As the owner, you must notify the ILT of your intention to recycle the ship at an approved ship recycling facility using the online form Melding scheepsrecycling (in Dutch). Please upload the following attachments:

Step 2: Ship recycling plan

The ship recycling facility prepares the ship recycling plan following the guidelines for the development of the ship recycling plan. These guidelines form part of the Hong Kong International Convention. Regulation (EU) 1257/2013 refers to the Hong Kong Convention.

The ship recycling facility must submit the ship recycling plan to the ILT for approval using the online form Aanvraag goedkeuring scheepsrecyclingplan (in Dutch). The ILT assesses whether the plan complies with Articles 7 and 13 of Regulation (EU) 1257/2013, Articles 7 and 13.

In the case of ships flying the flag of a country outside the EU but which are under the authority of the Dutch authorities and are recycled in the Netherlands, the ILT checks whether the plan complies with, among other things, regulations 9 and 5.4 of the Hong Kong Convention.

Step 3: Ready for Recycling Certificate (RfRC)

As the owner, you must apply for a Geschikt-voor-recycling-certificaat (Ready for Recycling Certificate, RfRC). Where you must apply depends on the type of vessel:

Step 4: Notification of planned start of ship recycling

The ship recycling facility must notify the ILT once it is ready to begin recycling the ship using the online form Melding geplande aanvang van de scheepsrecycling (in Dutch).

Step 5: Ship recycling completion statement

Once the ship has been recycled, the ship recycling facility must notify the ILT by submitting a Voltooiingsverklaring van de scheepsrecycling (ship recycling completion statement, in Dutch). The ship recycling facility must also state whether there were any incidents or accidents causing harm to the environment or human health.