Marine Metals successfully completes European innovation project

Marine Metals has successfully completed the project ‘Circular Ship Dismantling Rotterdam’, co-funded by the European Union through the Kansen voor West III programme. The project set out to demonstrate the technical feasibility of dismantling ocean-going vessels in a safe, clean, and circular way. That objective has been achieved — marking a decisive step towards a new industrial model for sustainable ship recycling.

An urgent global problem

More than 70% of all end-of-life vessels sailing under a European flag end up on beaches in South Asia, where they are broken down without meeting European environmental and safety standards. Toxic substances are released into fragile coastal ecosystems, and workers are exposed to hazardous conditions. At the same time, demand is growing for high-quality scrap steel as a feedstock for a green steel industry transitioning away from coal-based production. Marine Metals aims to address this problem with an automated, circular technology that can be deployed at industrial scale.

The project: testing and developing four key technologies

‘Circular Ship Dismantling Rotterdam’ aimed to test, integrate, and further develop four core technologies of the Marine Metals system.

The wire saw system cuts large ocean-going vessels automatically and precisely into manageable sections and blocks, without requiring any personnel on board. The Automated Block Processing system then processes the steel blocks fully automatically into clean steel plates, ready to serve as raw material for steelmakers. The waste and water treatment system captures and processes all contaminated water and other waste streams, enabling the entire process to operate as a closed, emission-free loop. The Brain software platform integrates all process steps and manages the system automatically, using machine learning to drive continuous optimisation.

Strategic partners in the project were Huisman Equipment (wire saw system), Grimbergen Industrial Systems (automated block processing), Bilfinger (water treatment), Ingenia, and Pro-Fa Automation.

Successful test proves technical feasibility

On 12 December 2024, a decisive milestone was reached. A prototype of the wire saw system was successfully tested in the presence of government envoy Kees van der Staaij and provincial deputy Arne Weverling of the Province of South Holland. The wire saw demonstrated the precision and force required for industrial-scale ship dismantling, confirming the technology’s capability to meet the demands of commercial operation.

“The results of this project prove that circular ship dismantling in Europe is not only desirable, but technically and operationally achievable. That is the foundation on which Marine Metals will now build.”
 — Hugo De Stoop, CEO

Result: technical feasibility demonstrated

The project has met its central objective. The technical feasibility of circular ship dismantling using the Marine Metals system has been demonstrated. The test and development results confirm that the wire saw system can function at an industrial level, that the Automated Block Processing system can produce high-quality scrap steel, and that waste and water treatment can take place within a closed loop. The project ‘Circular Ship Dismantling Rotterdam’ has thereby been successfully concluded.

The next step

Building on these results, Marine Metals is advancing towards the development of Europe’s first fully operational circular ship recycling facility. The company has completed its conceptual engineering phase and is currently conducting its Pre-FEED (Pre-Front-End Engineering Design), a critical phase of technical and engineering validation. At full capacity, the future facility will be capable of processing dozens of large ocean-going vessels per year, making a significant contribution to the decarbonisation of the European maritime sector.