The 9-Step Ship Recycling Methodology
Cero Contaminación desde la Llegada del Buque hasta la Entrega Certificada de Acero Verde
FoilDock's Secure Recycling Cycle is a patented 9-step vessel decommissioning methodology that takes each PANAMAX vessel from dock entry to certified scrap delivery — with zero marine discharge at each step. Each step is sequenced to eliminate the risk of contamination before the next one begins. The result is an ISO 30000 and Hong Kong Convention certified process that produces more than 720,000 metric tons of 99.0% pure green steel scrap per year with single-shift capacity.
The Complete 9-Step Cycle
Each Step Eliminates a Specific Risk — None Are Optional
Every vessel processed at FoilDock Panama follows the complete 9-step methodology — a documented and auditable sequence aligned with the HKC, the EU SRR, and ISO 30000.
Vessel Precision Positioning
The PANAMAX vessel is guided into the 320 m × 60 m dry dock under automated winch control. Exact positioning over the keel blocks creates a rigid, level platform — the stable base upon which every subsequent step depends.
Hazardous Material Inspection & Removal
Especialistas certificados inspeccionan y extraen todo el amianto, el NORM (material radiactivo de origen natural), los lodos oleosos y los productos químicos almacenados antes de que comience cualquier trabajo estructural. Cada peligro se elimina en la fuente, eliminando el riesgo de contaminación que socava el varado en playa convencional desde el primer día.
Deployment of Foil Basin and Controlled Drainage
The patented Foil Basin — a fully impermeable containment liner — is deployed under the vessel. Water is then pumped out in a controlled sequence: all oily water and debris are captured within the basin. No discharge reaches the marine environment. This step is the physical guarantee behind FoilDock's zero pollution claim.
Hull Sectioning Bow to Stern
Within the dry and contained dock, the hull is precisely cut into 20m segments working systematically from bow to stern. Without tidal interference, the crews maintain a constant daily output — a rate of performance that sustains more than 72 vessels per year.
Heavy Section Transport with SPMT
Each hull segment—up to 1,500 metric tons—is transferred from the dock floor to the processing yard via Self-Propelled Modular Transporters. The automated transport moves workers away from the load paths and eliminates improvised rigging, the most common source of injuries in conventional shipyards.
Structural Flattening for Safe Internal Access
The segments are laid out horizontally at dedicated processing stations. Workers access each internal compartment from ground level — confined space entry and working at height are eliminated. Internal components and secondary materials are separated and prepared for certified disposal or recovery.
Secondary Cut to Mill Specifications
The steel hull is precision cut to standard sizes specified by electric arc furnace operators. Consistent geometry and grading at this stage is what achieves the 99.0% purity specification—and the premium it commands in international scrap markets.
Certified Hazardous Waste Disposal
All hazardous waste streams – asbestos, NORM, oily waste, heavy metals – are channeled to authorized disposal or recycling facilities with full chain-of-custody documentation. Nothing leaves the facility without a certified disposal record, satisfying the audit requirements of the HKC, the EU SRR, and the ISO 30000 standard.
Certified Green Steel Delivery
Sorted and graded steel scrap with 99.0% purity is dispatched directly to steel mills for entry into electric arc furnaces. Each delivery is traceable to the source vessel, providing electric arc furnace operators with the documented provenance required by green steel certification programs.
An Environmental Guarantee
No una Declaración de Política — Un Resultado Estructural
La metodología de 9 pasos de FoilDock no aspira a una contaminación reducida, sino que diseña la descarga cero como un resultado estructural. La Foil Basin patentada impide físicamente que cualquier residuo llegue al medio marino. La descontaminación secuenciada significa que los trabajadores nunca entran en una zona de contaminación activa. Y el monitoreo ambiental continuo produce la evidencia documentada que exigen las autoridades portuarias, los Estados de pabellón y los inversores ESG.
- Captura del 100 % de los residuos — garantizada por el revestimiento de contención Foil Basin, no solo por procedimiento
- Extracción de materiales peligrosos antes del desguace estructural — contaminación eliminada en la fuente
- Transporte SPMT de secciones de hasta 1.500 toneladas — manejo automatizado, cero riesgo de aparejo manual
- Producción de acero verde con 99,0 % de pureza — trazable desde el buque hasta la entrega al horno de arco eléctrico
- Trazabilidad de auditoría completa — cada flujo de residuos documentado para el cumplimiento del HKC, el EU SRR y la norma ISO 30000
Lleve Esta Metodología a Su Puerto
FoilDock Panama posee la licencia tecnológica exclusiva de GREENDOCK para Panamá y ofrece sublicencias en toda la región LATAM. El paquete completo de ingeniería licenciado — que incluye las especificaciones del Foil Basin, el marco operativo y las vías de certificación — entrega una instalación de desguace de alta capacidad y conforme a nivel mundial a una fracción del coste de la construcción de un dique seco convencional.