Pioneering Sustainable Ship Recycling
At SSORP (Sustainable Ship and Offshore Recycling Program), we're leading the way in responsible and sustainable ship recycling. Our program is uniquely verified, vetted, and certified by Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance, ensuring compliance with the Hong Kong Convention (HKC) for safe, transparent, and environmentally sound recycling practices.
Sustainable Ship & Offshore Recycling Programme (SSORP) is the first and only Compliance Monitoring program to be successfully verified and validated by Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance (LRQA), a major assurance and inspection company. LRQA experts audited SSORP in two stages, including an analysis of data on ships recycled from 2019 to 2021. It found that SSORP’s recycling monitoring program provided its clients with a high degree of relevant data, completeness, consistency, accuracy, and transparency.
Why SSORP
Sustainable Ship & Offshore Recycling Program (SSORP) is the only program in the world that provides a one-stop, end-to-end solution for end-of-life vessels, including preparation of IHMS, Yard audits, evaluation of SRFPs, monitoring and reporting of the entire vessel recycling process as per the laid Rules and Regulations.
Resource
SSORP is executed by a highly qualified and well-trained in-house supervisory team of specialized experts in their respective fields.
Experience
SSORP has safely recycled more than 125+ vessels and conducted 100+ IHM surveys. The program is proud to confirm a track record of ZERO FATAL ACCIDENTS to date. SSORP is accepted as compliance monitoring and yard auditing team by leading ship owners
Only Program measuring Carbon Footprint
SSORP is a key differentiator from other ship recycling processes, SSORP is the only program that measures the ’Carbon Footprint’ of the recycled ship. Only Program to have qualified Social Auditors
Comprehensiveness
SSORP has 281 HSE data points to check & ensure safe and environmentally friendly vessel recycling and a comprehensive report upon completion of the recycling process including ‘Carbon Footprint’ of the recycled vessel.
Reliability
SSORP is the only program which is verified, vetted and certified by the Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance. This validation certification shows that SSORP is the most comprehensive, reliable, transparent and valid program.
Knowledge
SSORP is the only Ship Recycling Program in the world to publish a book on ship recycling. Namely, “The Green Handbook: A Practical Checklist to Monitor the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships” by Dr. Anand Hiremath - which highlights the breadth of procedures under SSORP.
Cost Effectiveness
SSORP is the only program in the world to put together a comprehensive program dedicated to the development and execution of a quality Responsible Ship Recycling Program in a safe, pragmatic and cost-effective manner.
Ease of Doing Business
SSORP is the only program in the world to put together a comprehensive program dedicated to the development and execution of a quality Responsible Ship Recycling Program in a safe, pragmatic and cost-effective manner.
Recognized
SSORP is the FIRST and ONLY ship recycling program to receive the prestigious Green Shipping Award at Sea Trade Maritime Awards Middle East, Indian Subcontinent and Africa 2018 and has been a finalist for environmental protection and CSR awards by the various recognized agencies in the maritime industry.
Leadership
SSORP is the ONLY program that invests in R&D activities, for e.g., in collaboration with India’s world-renowned engineering institute i.e. Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Gandhinagar), for the research and development of a safe and environmentally friendly paint removal technology as well as providing paid internship to students to promote research on sustainable ship recycling.
Monthly training programs for yard workers at several ship recycling facilities in Alang, India; Gadani, Pakistan, and also Chattogram, Bangladesh. We have conducted 400+ free training sessions for workers to date and directly trained over 5000+ recycling yard workers in India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.
Additionally, in collaboration with lACS-member classification societies such as IR Class & LR, SSORP has initiated a high-caliber training program called “Train-the-Trainer” for the HSE team of the Indian ship recycling sector.
Our Mission
Our mission is to set the global standard for sustainable ship recycling. We are committed to ensuring that end-of-life vessels are processed adhering to the highest Environment Social and Governance principles. Our comprehensive approach safeguards both environmental integrity and worker safety, ensuring a responsible end to a ship's journey.
Experience That Speak
125+
vessels recycling supervised
100+
IHM Survey’s
281+
HKC Data points
With over 125 vessels safely recycled and more than 100 Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM) surveys conducted across India, Bangladesh, and Turkey, our expertise is unrivalled. SSORP is recognized for its rapid growth and adoption by leading ship owners globally, reflecting our capability in protecting brand reputation and managing risks effectively.
A Comprehensive Suite of Services
We provide end-to-end services, from preparing IHM and Ship Recycling Plans (SRP) to evaluating and monitoring the recycling process in line with HKC guidelines. Our focus on Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) is stringent – we proudly maintain a record of zero fatal accidents, a testament to our commitment to safety and environmental stewardship.
Know More
Team of Experts
SSORP is executed by a highly qualified in-house supervisory team of specialized experts:
Dr. Anand Hiremath
Head of Sustainable Ship and Offshore Recycling Program (SSORP). Pursuant to his master’s degree in Environmental Engineering, Dr. Hiremath earned his Ph.D. in ship recycling from India’s prestigious IIT Bombay. His doctoral thesis was on the “Integrated Risk Assessment Framework for the Development of Best Practices in Ship Recycling”.
Dr. Anand Hiremath is a Civil Engineer and holds a master’s degree in Environmental Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IIT Guwahati), India. He spent six years carrying out extensive research and prepared a doctoral thesis on: Integrated Risk Assessment Framework for Development of Best Practices in Ship Recycling. Dr. Anand Hiremath was awarded Doctorate Degree in the year 2016 for his research work on Ship Recycling by the IIT Bombay, India. In addition, he has a diploma in Industrial Safety and is qualified Lead Auditor for ISO 45001:2018, ISO 9001:2015 & ISO 14001:2015. He is also a DNV certified Hazmat Expert (IHM specialist). He has also completed International General Certification course from NEBOSH UK.
He is a certified GRI Standards 2021 reporter. AccountAbilityAA1000: Stakeholder engagement practitioner, Sustainability Practitioner and Associate certified sustainability assurance practitioner Dr. Anand Hiremath has been with GMS for the last eight years as a Green Recycling Specialist, based in Bhavnagar, India, where he works closely with select yards ensuring compliance with the guidelines of the Hong Kong Convention (HKC) for Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships. He is the Chief Sustainable Officer at GMS. Dr. Anand is in-charge of project execution at ground level. Dr. Hiremath is also the Course Director for the Ship Recycling course offered by the Lloyd’s Maritime Academy, London.
Dr. Anand has participated in several projects on Green Ship Recycling, including the European Union FP6 funded project (DIVEST) and has conducted a study on Preventive Technological Interventions for Improving Environmental Attributes of Ship Recycling (Green Alang Initiative) funded by the Gujarat Maritime Board, Government of Gujarat, India. Dr. Hiremath’s research has been published in scientific journals in USA, Europe, UK and India. Dr. Hiremath published the first practical handbook on ship recycling, entitled: “The Green Handbook: A Practical Checklist to Monitor the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships”.
Under his supervision, more than 100+ IHM surveys were conducted & 120+ end-of-life vessels (of different types) were successfully recycled. He is a certified Social Auditor and Responsible steel auditor as well empaneled lead auditor with Indian Register of Shipping for ISO, HKC-SOC and EUSRR independent verifier projects.
Dr. Nikos Mikelis
Advisory Board Member of SSORP. As the former head of IMO’s Ship recycling committee and the “Father” of the IMO’s Hong Kong Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Ship Recycling standards, Dr. Mikelis is an internationally renowned expert in ship recycling regulatory affairs and a regular speaker at global conferences.
Dr Mikelis graduated in naval architecture from the University of Newcastle and obtained Master’s and Doctorate degrees from London University. He has worked in ship classification; and then for a shipping company as superintendent, technical manager and then director. In 2006 he joined the International Maritime Organization, from where he retired at the end of 2012 as Head, Marine Pollution Prevention and Ship Recycling section.
Currently he is a non-executive director of GMS, the world’s leading buyer of ships for recycling; and a Company Secretary of QACE, the entity that has been set for the quality assessment and certification of organisations (classification societies) recognised by the European Union.
He has served in senior positions in shipping industry bodies, such as Council Member of INTERTANKO, Chairman of the "INTERTANKO Safety, Technical & Environmental Committee", member of the “Safety of Navigation & Protection of the Marine Environment Committee” of the Union of Greek Shipowners, and Chairman of the London Greek Technical Committee of Det norske Veritas. He has written well over 50 learned papers and numerous articles in the maritime press and was a freeman of the City of London.
Other Experts
SSORP is executed by a highly qualified in-house supervisory team of specialized experts in their respective fields.
Recognized for Excellence
Our efforts in enhancing HSE standards in ship recycling have earned us prestigious accolades, including the Green Shipping Award at the Sea Trade Maritime Awards. We have been finalists in numerous environmental and CSR awards, reflecting our leadership in sustainable shipping practices.
Lloyd’s List Global Environmental Award
Finalist
Sustainability Award
Seatrade Maritime Awards 2021
Finalist
Seatrade Maritime Green Shipping Award
Maritime Standard Green Shipping Award
Finalist
