Ed Slack EDITOR’S COMMENT
ibinews.com International Boat Industry | JUNE–JULY 2019 1
Ed Slack | Editor | IBIThe danger of committees is that they can sometimes get hung up on
process – minute-taking and points of order are all well and necessary, but
they need a sharp end – points of action to justify themselves. Thankfully,
when it came to the annual ICOMIA/IFBSO Congress, it seems that the
delegates were on the same page. Reporting from the event, held in Split at
the beginning of June, it was reassuring to see frank discussions between
members who are at the coal face and know very well what the industry is
and isn’t capable of. Never far away from an agenda nowadays is the issue
of End of Life Boats (ELBs) – the ever-pressing need to do something about
the gathering detritus that comes from 50 years of building GRP boats. Lots
of head scratching and talk over the past decade appears to have made little
impact – the issue was being highlighted at Congress back in 1997, and last
year a decision was taken to postpone a regular
ELB forum at METSTRADE because so few
advances had been made. But life is a marathon,
not a race, and it appears the industry is inching
forward after all. The forum is now back on for
METSTRADE 2019 and speakers are lining up
to share news of very real progress. In the US,
the Rhode Island Marine Trades Association is
behind a pilot project tracking 20 tonnes of GRP
from ELBs being co-processed through cement
kilns to determine whether such methods offer a
financially viable solution, while in France a disposal network of 23 centres
is now being funded by eco-contribution from French marine companies,
so that the last owner will not have to pay. In Italy, two pilot projects are
underway – a UCINA-supported composite upcycling process, and another
in Tuscany, combining ELB waste with caravans, railway carriages etc, to
make an efficient disposal/recycling process. In Norway they have developed
a method of breaking down redundant sections of GRP into various reusable
fibres, and the Dutch University of Applied Sciences at Windesheim is
upcycling GRP sections into a new panel material which replaces
hardwood for various applications, including lining of canal banks.
Japan is also thought to be experimenting with a GRP recycling
plant.
Needless to say, End of Life Boats was just one challenge taxing
delegates and it will be interesting to see the progress
made on this year’s other action points at the 2020
Congress in Zhuhai. In a relatively small, fragmented, yet
global industry such is ours, yards can be hard won at
times, but the will and stamina of the industry to make
a difference was there to see in Split.Life is a marathon, not a
race, and the industry is
inching forward
Ed SlackWHO’S WHO ATEDITORIALEditorial Director: (^) Ed Slack
Tel: +44 (0)7984 026 733 Email: [email protected] Editor: Belinda Snell co.uk
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© 2019 Boating Communications Ltd. | ISSN 0020-The will and
stamina of
the industry to make a
difference was there to
see in Split