EWD Benli Recycling is the first German company to start dismantling ships, wind turbines and industrial plants on the site of the Emder Werft und Dock (EWD) company.
This week, managing directors Björn Sommer and Sebastian Jeanvré received the necessary approval documents from the Oldenburg Trade Supervisory Office.
“The process took around a year and we are very pleased that we can now meet the demand in Emden,” says Björn Sommer, who is also the CEO of EWD. The maritime core business will be the dismantling of seagoing vessels, inland waterway vessels, coasters, passenger ships and ferries. “In principle, we will be able to dismantle anything that can enter the port of Emden through the sea lock,” explains Sommer.
EWD Benli is unique in Germany
Now that approval has been granted, Jeanvré and Sommer’s team are starting the acquisition process. “After announcing our intention to enter this business segment last year, we immediately received the first inquiries, which we still had to turn down due to the ongoing approval phase,” says Sommer. Getting the green light now is also a strong signal for the German maritime industry, which has a great deal of expertise. This makes EWD Benli Recycling the only German maritime company to have the necessary permits.
The necessary certification process was demanding, but the company was able to rely heavily on the support of Emden’s Lord Mayor Tim Kruithoff, Economic Development Officer Martje Merten and various decision-makers at the Lower Saxony Ministry of the Environment and the trade supervisory offices in Oldenburg and Emden, including Martina Johansen, Jerzy Gohlke and Oliver Schmidt.
Dismantling industrial plants as well as ships
“We worked together hand in hand and transparently at all times to be able to enter this business. Ultimately, we are helping to ensure that the seaport of Emden continues to flourish and that the raw materials from old ships remain in Germany,” says recycling expert Sebastian Jeanvré, who is also Managing Director of ReLog, a company that plans and implements industrial dismantling projects and recycles ships, engines, wind turbines and aircraft.
The aim of this cooperation is to dismantle industrial plants as well as ships. Together with Björn Sommer, Jeanvré forms a dual management team at EWD Benli Recycling.
