Ship recycling firm applies to change permit to expand operations

Environment Agency Wales has received an application from a Swansea ship recycling firm to change its Environmental Permit to allow it to expand its operations at Swansea dry-docks.  Swansea Drydocks Ltd plans to extend the area in which they dismantle ships to include a ‘wet berth,’ area.

The application to change their permit does not include a proposal to change any of the existing waste types as set out in the original permit.

If granted, the proposed extension will allow the operator to temporarily store end of life ships in the wet berth area and start stripping non-hazardous fixtures and fittings. The ships will then be fully dismantled in the dry dock area.

Nothing will be removed from a ship in the wet berth area that could have an impact on the environment and in particular the water within the Queen’s Dock.

The Agency will now assess the application to investigate whether the proposed expansion in operations at the site will pose a risk to human health or the environment.

The Agency will consult with a number of different organisations including the Abertawe Bro Morgannwg Health Board and the City and County of Swansea before it reaches a decision.

If it finds any evidence that the proposed changes will harm the health of local people or the environment, it will not allow the permit change.

If the application does meet the Agency’s criteria, the new operations will have to conform to the same strict standards as the rest of the site has been adhering to over the last year.

Steve Brown, from Environment Agency Wales said:

“We will carefully consider this application and will conduct a thorough assessment into the proposed expansion in activities on the site before we make any decision.

“We will only allow a change in the permit if the company can demonstrate that they have the necessary measures in place to continue to operate to the highest standards without posing a risk to the nearby community or the local environment.”

Copies of the application are available to view at the public registers at the City and County of Swansea’s offices at in the Civic Centre, Oystermouth Road and Environment Agency Wales’s office at Maes Newydd, Llandarcy.

More information is available to view online at www.environment-agency.gov.uk/swanseadrydock.

People can submit their comments on the application in writing to Environment Agency, PSC, Quadrant 2, 99 Parkway Avenue, Sheffield, S9 4WF or emailed to psc@environment-agency.gov.uk, quoting reference number EPR/UP3298VL, by Wednesday 21 November 2012.

The Agency’s environmental permit decision is separate from the planning process which is led by the local authority. It focuses on operating techniques, the emissions from the operation and any direct impact the site could have on health and the environment.

The company cannot expand its operations without a valid permit from Environment Agency Wales.