Ship scrappage records reveal disturbing environmental injustice

Ship demolition is a significant source of marine pollution. Not recycled properly, toxic chemicals can be released and pose great dangers to both the environment and public health. By investigating over 22,500 scrapped vessels’ business records ranging between 2000 and 2019, we find how business owners in developed countries disguise ships’ true identity by registering them in developing regions with loose approaches to labor and environmental protection, thus creating a leeway to violate environmental justice. International treaties and regional regulations have failed to correct the problem. Neither the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal nor enhanced regional regulations from the European Commission are effective. We propose three reforms to make the shipping industry more sustainable.