End of Life Vessel Removal at Langstone

Over the last three years, we have successfully removed almost 70 end of life vessels from Eastney foreshore. These vessels have reached the end of their serviceable life, but being made from GRP/fibreglass, the materials are designed not to have an ‘end of life’ date. Often, the cost for the vessel owner to repair the vessel is more than it’s worth. Hence, they get abandoned. EoL vessels have a clear impact on the environment – pollution to the water through chemical leaching, oils and fuels. As the hull deteriorates over time, it also leaches fibreglass shards and microparticulates. Approximately 120 tonnes of fibreglass has been removed from the Harbour environment. There are a handful of vessels still to be scrapped. Unfortunately, there is no effective recycling solution at the moment for large-scale reuse of fibreglass, so many of these vessels have been sent straight to landfill. Those with elements which can be recycled have been stripped, and materials repurposed.