Mooring ropes are seen in this photo provided by HMM Co.
SEOUL, Feb. 22 (Korea Bizwire) — HMM Co., South Korea’s top container shipper, said Tuesday it had signed a business agreement with marine waste management company Foresys to establish a circular environment system using discarded mooring ropes.
Large ships use dozens of thick mooring ropes when in port.
HMM has been discarding about 20 tons of mooring ropes per year, and they have either been sent to landfills or incinerated as waste.
The two companies established a system in which salt and foreign substances on the surface of the discarded mooring ropes are removed and processed using eco-friendly technologies to recycle them into raw material for nylon.
HMM said that about 80 to 90 percent of discarded mooring ropes can be recycled on a weight basis.
The nylon raw material reproduced in the form of pellets or threads can be used for the production of clothes, miscellaneous goods and daily necessities.
HMM said that it was the first among domestic shipping companies to recycle discarded mooring ropes.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
