Vessel Recycling Logistics and Tenders in Africa: Project Planning Guide

Vessel recycling is a coordinated disposal project involving an owner, technical specialists, a receiving facility and several service providers. Logistics and procurement need to support the approved route rather than move ahead of it. Wigmore Trading accepts enquiries for sourcing, tender organisation and logistics planning connected with marine asset disposal in Nigeria, Africa and international markets. Confirm the precise service boundary before instruction.

Build the project around a named asset

Begin with the vessel’s identity, ownership authority, location, condition and intended disposal outcome. Distinguish routine end-of-life recycling from wreck removal, offshore decommissioning and platform dismantling. An FPSO or damaged tanker may require a substantially different engineering and environmental scope from a small operational vessel. Qualified specialists should define the work before general contractors price it.

What belongs in a vessel-recycling tender?

Provide the asset dossier, proposed schedule, responsibilities matrix and technical requirements. Ask bidders to identify their legal entities, subcontractors, receiving facilities, exclusions and evidence of authority. Separate mandatory requirements from items open to clarification. Keep a controlled question-and-answer record so all candidates price the same scope and commercial assumptions.

Towage is an engineered service

A request to tow a ship to a scrapyard needs an assessment of vessel condition, voyage exposure and the proposed towing arrangement. The owner should engage competent marine survey, towage and insurance professionals. Pricing must reflect the actual asset and route. Do not assume that a tug quotation includes making a vessel safe to move, port permissions or insurance acceptance.

Control hazardous-material dependencies

Asbestos, residual oils and other hazards require authorised specialist assessment and handling. Do not treat cleaning or removal as a casual preparatory job. The inventory and receiving facility’s approved process should inform contractor scope and documentation. This guide does not provide dismantling, tank-entry or hazardous-material removal instructions; those activities require competent personnel and the applicable permits and controls.

Compare turnkey and separate contracts

A full-service proposal can simplify interfaces, but the owner still needs to know who performs each task and where responsibility transfers. Separate contracts may offer flexibility while increasing coordination work. Compare change-control processes, delay allocation, reporting obligations and payment milestones. Have qualified maritime advisers review binding terms and the consequences of a provider or facility becoming unavailable.

Investment in a ship-recycling facility

A yard investment or joint venture needs feasibility work beyond a projection of recovered steel sales. Assess site rights, vessel access, permitting, environmental liabilities, worker protection, downstream waste capacity, financing and a credible feedstock pipeline. Verify projected recovery assumptions and price sensitivity independently. A country keyword or an expression of buyer interest is not evidence of a bankable project or an approved facility.

Scrap procurement and recovery reporting

Buyers of recovered marine steel should specify material description, inspection, provenance, contamination controls and delivery terms. Keep the purchase of recovered material separate from authorisation to dismantle a vessel. A project should trace recovery and waste streams through documented counterparties. These records can support commercial reconciliation and responsible sourcing without implying that every tonne is suitable for every industrial use.

Start with a clear project brief

Send Wigmore the asset or proposed facility location, your role, target dates and the sourcing or coordination support needed. Include a redacted technical scope if available. We can help organise supplier questions and comparable quotations, with specialist assessments and current provider capability confirmed separately. For the international framework, consult the IMO ship-recycling convention overview.