The detention of the Liberian-flag, 45,500-dwt car-carrier Global Spirit (built 1987) in Antwerp last Friday following allegations by environmental activists that the ship was about to violate the European Union (EU)’s waste shipment regulation shows that European authorities still persist in enforcing an ineffective and counterproductive regime to end-of-life ships. It also reveals a lack of understanding by the shipping industry of the intricacies of the current complex web of international and regional legal requirements.

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