Illegal Dumping of Abandoned FRP Ships - February 2000

Illegal Dumping of Abandoned FRP Ships - February 2000

FRP (Fiber Reinforced Plastic) hulls are both corrosion-resistant and lightweight, and are widely used, especially in Hokkaido and the coasts of the Inland Sea, where the fishing industry is thriving.
However, FRP ships are difficult to dispose of, with approximately 12,000 ships scrapped each year. About 40% of these vessels are not properly disposed of and are illegally dumped in remote island areas of Kagoshima and Okinawa prefectures or in the Seto Inland Sea, causing serious environmental pollution and damage to the fishing industry.

Because FRP is chemically stable, normal incineration produces toxic gases, and disposal costs range from 25,000 to 35,000 yen per ton.
This high cost has encouraged illegal dumping, and the destruction of fishing grounds on Ishigaki Island in Okinawa and in Amami City, Kagoshima Prefecture, has been viewed as a problem.

The Ministry of Transport has announced a policy to establish a recycling system to recycle about 70% of FRP scrapped vessels by 2005.
Specifically, the system promotes the method of replacing only the deteriorated parts of the vessel by utilizing the modularized design reuse technology developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
In addition, efforts are underway to crush FRP ships and reuse them as raw materials for construction materials and road pavement materials.

In the FRP ship resale system, shipbuilders have introduced a system to repair and recondition scrapped ships collected by shipbuilders and ship them back to the market.
It is estimated that 3,000 FRP vessels will be reused annually, which will reduce processing costs by about 15%.

In addition, plans are underway to develop appropriate treatment facilities in cooperation with local governments and fishermen's cooperatives.
The new facility will be able to process 100 tons of scrapped vessels per day, and the national and local governments will contribute subsidies to prevent illegal dumping and create a recycling-oriented society.

These efforts are expected to solve the problem of FRP scrapped vessels and help preserve the marine environment and revitalize the local economy.