The Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships entered into force on 26 June, establishing mandatory regulations to govern the way ships are recycled.
Most ships are recycled when they are taken out of operation, with almost all materials and equipment from the ship being re-used or recycled. The Hong Kong Convention addresses key environmental, occupational health, and safety risks involved in the recycling of ships, while distributing responsibilities and obligations across relevant stakeholders, such as shipowners, ship building yards, ship recycling facilities, flag States, port States and recycling States.
Among other measures, the Convention:
- prohibits or restricts the installation or use of hazardous materials on ships, such as asbestos, polychlorinated biphenyls, ozone-depleting substances, and anti-fouling compounds and systems containing organotin compounds or cybutryne;
- requires detailed inventories of hazardous materials;
- outlines requirements for ship recycling facility operations, including working conditions at ship recycling yards; and
- sets out robust mechanisms for certification, compliance and enforcement.
To support developing countries, IMO has organized various workshops on ship recycling to raise awareness of the Convention internationally. In addition, IMO has been actively working with countries to help build their capacity and establish the conditions that will enable them to ratify and effectively implement the Convention.
This includes the ongoing project on Safe and Environmentally Sound Ship Recycling (SENSREC Project), established with financial support from the Government of Norway. The project provides comprehensive support to countries, ranging from policy alignment, creation of institutional mechanisms and governance systems, to capacity development related to sustainable technical, social and environmental practices.
The Convention was developed under the auspices of IMO, with input from intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, and in co-operation with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Parties to the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal.
Currently, there are 24 Parties to the Convention, including major flag states such as Japan, Liberia, the Marshall Islands and Panama, as well as four major ship recycling countries: Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Türkiye. Altogether they cover 57.15% of the world’s shipping by tonnage.
