Overview 

As of 1 January 2021, the United Kingdom (UK) has finished its transition period to leave the European Union (EU). The UK Ship Recycling Regulation (UK SRR) now retains the requirements of the EU Ship Recycling Regulation 1257/2013 (EU SRR) in UK domestic legislation. Note:

  • Ship recycling is subject to the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland following the UK exit from the EU. For clarity, in this context reference to Great Britain (GB), is the area of the UK that excludes Northern Ireland.
  • For the purposes of both UK and EU ship recycling regulations, Northern Irish ports and anchorages are treated as EEA ports and anchorages.
  • The EU SRR applies in the European Economic Area (EEA) (EU countries plus Iceland and Norway).
  • The UK is now classed as a third country in the EEA (i.e. not an EEA Member State).

MGN-633 - M&F Amendment 1 sets out the full UK Ship Recycling Regulation provisions.

Requirements of the UK SRR

UK flagged ships
For compliance with the UK SRR , UK flagged ships are required to have :

  • an EU SRR compliant Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM) onboard.
  • a UK SRR specific Inventory Certificate (IC) onboard.
  • (if entering EEA ports or anchorages) an EU SRR Statement of Compliance (SoC) issued on behalf of UK Flag. This EU SRR SoC should be in addition to the UK SRR IC described above.

Owners of UK flagged ships, wishing to recycle their vessel in:

  • an EEA recycling facility which is EU Listed, will need to comply with the certification requirements of the EU SRR and the UK SRR.
  • A GB recycling facility, which is UK Listed, will need to have a UK SRR Ready for Recycling Certificate. If the GB recycling facility is not also EU Listed, the EEA flagged vessel will not be able to be recycled in GB.

Note, UK ships going for recycling at a ship recycling facility, which is on the UK List but outside the UK, may be asked to provide documentation needed for compliance with the Waste Shipment Regulations (WSR) (EC) No 1013/2006.

EEA flagged ships

All EEA flagged ships calling at a GB port or anchorage are classed as a third country flagged ship under the provisions of the UK SRR (i.e. not a UK flagged ship). Existing EU SRR IC issued on behalf of Flag is acceptable to UK PSC officers. 
 
Owners of EEA flagged ships must follow EU SRR requirements to recycle their vessel at a GB facility that is listed by both the EU and UK.
 
Third country flagged ships (to both the UK and EEA)

Any other third country (i.e. non EEA and non UK) flagged ships calling at a GB port or anchorage needs to have either:

  • an EU SRR SoC on board issued by or on behalf of Flag; or
  • an EU SRR SoC on board issued on behalf of their Recognised Organisation (RO) along with a letter (or equivalent) from Flag advising that this is their practice.

Owners of non-EEA and non-UK flagged ships may recycle their ship in a facility of their choosing. However, if they leave an EEA or GB port or anchorage to sail to a recycling facility, their ships will need to have the relevant IHM certification.
 
Ship Recycling Facility requirements

The UK will have its own list of ship recycling facilities, which will include the EU's approved facilities. This UK List will also have all GB facilities with valid permits, even if they aren't on the EU List.
 
GB facilities wanting to be on the EU List must apply to the European Commission (EC). Northern Ireland (NI) facilities will be treated as EU facilities and need authorization from their local authority.
 
Great Britain (GB) facilities must apply to the EC as a third country, with support from an independent verifier. If GB operators need help, they can contact Lloyd’s Register for more information.

Application of the UK SRR

The UK SRR applies to:

  • Ships of 500 GT and above;

It does not apply to:

  • UK ships operating throughout their life only in UK waters; and
  • Any warships, naval auxiliary, or other ships owned or operated by a state and used, for the time being, only on government non-commercial service.

The EU SRR still applies to UK ships operating throughout their life only in UK waters when they go to a recycling facility in an EEA member state.