A draft report prepared by the consultant was reviewed by the Scientific Groups in May 2018. The main objective of the review was to provide an overview of the current state of knowledge regarding the end-of-life management of fibre-reinforced plastic (e.g. fibreglass) vessels, and on alternatives to disposal at sea and therefore provide the LC/ LP governing bodies with a better understanding of the scale of the issue, the options for disposal and recycling, and the potential impacts of fibreglass in the marine environment enabling them to determine if any further guidance needed to be developed.


It should be noted that the purpose of the report is to inform discussions on the end of life management of fibre-reinforced plastic (e.g. fibreglass) vessels within the LC/LP. It does not claim to be a complete review of all aspects related to this issue, but will hopefully raise awareness and stimulate further discussions on this issue, both in relation to the LC/LP and within the wider global community.


Acknowledgements


This study was made possible through the funding from the GPML, administered by UN Environment. The Office of the London Convention/Protocol and Ocean Affairs would like to thank the consultant, Dr. Simon Bray (AQASS Ltd) for his work in compiling this report. Thanks are also due to the delegations from LC/ LP Contracting Parties and observers that contributed information to the study and provided a review of the draft report


The report’s Executive Summary reads as follows:


Fibre reinforced plastic (FRP) was created in the 1930s and generally commercially available for boat production from the


60 | The Report • December 2020 • Issue 94


1950s. FRP vessels were given a life expectancy of 30-50 years, whilst in practice many older boats are still in service. This has resulted in a growing number of end-of-life vessels which, whilst no longer financially viable, have substantially intact hulls with limited options for their disposal bar landfill. It is evident that the difficulty of FRP boat disposal has been considered since the 1980s. Attention from industry, research and policy has increased with interest in potentially making boat owners and/or manufacturers financially responsible for end-of- life management of FRP boats.


The issue of end-of-life management of FRP vessels was raised by parties to the London Convention and London Protocol, specifically small island developing states (SIDS). This resulted in the International Maritime


Organization (IMO) commissioning this study to review and summarise currently recognised options for the disposal and recycling of end-of-life FRP boats and to identify where guidance and further work may be required. Whilst the situation of disposal of end-of-life FRP boats was considered in general terms, this study was particularly focused on the practice of at sea disposal and the magnitude of the situation as affecting management in SIDS.


Review of available literature shows that numerous bodies (user groups, Government, industry) have undertaken studies to consider disposal options, with the impetus of finding a sustainable solution for FRP hull disposal. However, most reports and papers conclude that there is not


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