American ship dismantler to open Denmark location

A Louisiana-based ship dismantling company has signed a contract to invest in a vessel recycling facility at the port of Frederikshavn, Denmark.

Modern American Recycling Services (M.A.R.S.), Gibson, Louisiana, will open the new European ship dismantling operation by the end of 2017, according to a press release issued by the Port of Frederikshavn agency.

The port agency says “the new activities are expected to create 150 to 200 jobs in the Frederikshavn harbor area. This agreement constitutes an important building block in the harbor’s strategic foundation with respect to the upcoming $8.6 million port extension.”

M.A.R.S., with its location on the Gulf of Mexico, has traditionally focused on the recycling of oil platforms and ships, though on its website the company says “ships of all sizes, tug boats, barges, platforms and drilling rigs are safe and efficiently recycled by M.A.R.S.”

The contract in Denmark consists of a lease agreement for land in the harbor area plus a handling agreement concerning the scrap metal generated by ship and platform dismantling activities.

“One of the port’s focus areas is the environment and recovery industry, and for a long time we have been looking for a well-established company with experience within offshore oil and gas to set up operations in Frederikshavn,” says Port of Frederikshavn Managing Director Mikkel Seedorff Sørensen. “This partner has now been found in Modern American Recycling Services, a company with an impressive list of references within the oil and gas industry.”

Adds Frederikshavn Mayor Birgit Hansen, “It is a great pleasure to have companies from abroad show an interest in Frederikshavn’s forthcoming port extension. Modern American Recycling Services’ establishment in Frederikshavn sends a fine signal to the surrounding world, indicating the excellent potential for setting up shop here – for Danish [and] for foreign businesses.”