Ship dismantling and recycling is by definition an environmentally friendly activity contributing to sustainable development by reducing depletion of the quality and quantity of natural resources. The benefit to the environment from ship dismantling and recycling is twofold; on the one hand it removes older vessels that would otherwise be left abandoned, polluting the seas. On the other hand it provides reusable and recyclable materials and hence achieves a far better environmental performance given the production energy efficiency, the reduction in emissions from subsequent processing, and the preservation of non-renewable resources. The increased awareness of sustainable development gives environmentally credible companies, such as LEYAL, a competitive advantage.

LEYAL employs a combination of afloat & landing dismantling methodology, with on land cutting taking place on concrete impermeable floor with appropriate drainage and underground effluent collection. Cutting is done with a combination of torch cutting (oxy-LPG) and mechanical cutting (mobile shear). A wide variety of facilities are based on site, such as the Environmental Management Centre (EMC), worker accommodation quarters, infirmary, and both open-air and specialized covered storage areas.

Once LEYAL is contracted for the recycling of a vessel, and prior to the vessel's arrival, both the local authorities and the EMC are notified. Drawing from its wide knowledge base and longstanding experience, along with the information provided by the shipowner and also drawn during the vessel's pre-demolition inspection, the Company is in a position to establish a specific and viable ship recycling plan, also addressing issues such as waste removal and disposal. Upon arrival the vessel is secured at the yard and it is checked for radiation readings and gas free condition. After the local authorities issue the necessary permissions, a team of certified experts identifies hazardous substances and plans their removal and disposal. Following the pre-cleaning of the vessel the main dismantling operations commence.

The dismantling of a vessel starts from the pre-cleaning of the superstructure and the dismantling of forward sections. Heavy lift cranes remove big sections of the vessel and place them in specialized concrete-paved zones, where the secondary cutting and additional material separation takes place. The sections are reduced to marketable sizes using a cobination of cold and hot cutting methods (LEYAL is the only ship recycling facility in Turkey to employ large scale mobile hydraulic shears) and categorized based on their type and composition for further recycling. Once sufficient weight is removed from the upper vessel, the keel is moved to a dedicated zone where the remainder of the vessel is dismantled in a safe and environemally controlled manner. The absence of an intertidal zone (no tides in the area in contrast to the beaching of ships of India, Bangladesh and Pakistan) means that there are clearly defined borders between the dry land work areas allowing the efficeint use of containment systems, preventing unwanted washing of debris to the sea.

LEYAL is particularly sensitive to worker health and safety, abiding to the strictest national and international standards and regulations, including the high QHSE requirements of E&P companies, operating under an integrated QHSE management system certified to ISO 30000, ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 certification. The Company is also actively pursuing the implementation of cutting edge technologies aimed at reducing worker and environmental hazards. In cooperation with the a prominent European Union Technical University, the Company is participating in a multi-year research project sponsored by the European Union R&D Funding Program for the development of improved alternative vessel dismantling techniques and procedures, as well as environmentally sound management procedures for the removal, temporary storage and disposal of hazardous materials.