Denmark-based Maersk, often listed as the world’s largest container shipping line, has announced it will not accept cargo classified as “solid waste” by the People’s Republic of China destined for ports in that nation for vessels departing on or after Sept. 1. Maersk, with more than 700 large container ships in its fleet, according to MarineInsight.com, joins a growing list of other shippers who do not want to be exposed to a regulation that states China will hold shipping lines among those responsible for the return or disposal of scrap materials that fail to meet import standards.
In China, highly recyclable materials with established market value, including ferrous and nonferrous scrap and old corrugated containers (OCC), are classified as “solid waste” by government agencies. The nation is reportedly preparing to reclassify some high-grade copper and aluminum scrap grades as “resources,” but procedures to do so have not been finalized, having missed an initial July 1, 2020, target date.
In June, Switzerland-based Mediterranean Shipping Co. (MSC) and Germany-based Hapag-Lloyd made similar announcements. In mid-July, Taiwan-based Yang Ming followed suit, according to a weekly briefing from the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI). MarineInsight.com lists MSC as the world’s second-largest container shipping line with more than 500 large vessels, Hapag-Lloyd ranks fifth with about 230 ocean-going vessels, and Yang Ming ranks eighth with nearly 100 ocean-going container ships.
Source: Recycling Today
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