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Starting June 26 this year, ships at the end of their operational lives must be recycled in a safe and environmentally sustainable way
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The Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships enters into force, establishing the mandatory regulations on how ships are recycled.
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Developed under the auspices of the International Maritime Organization, the Hong Kong Convention covers the design, construction, operation and preparation of ships to support safe and environmentally sound recycling.
The Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships entered into force on June 26. The Convention establishes mandatory regulations on how ships are recycled.
Developed under the auspices of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the Hong Kong Convention covers the design, construction, operation and preparation of ships to support safe and environmentally sound recycling.
It also includes the operation of ship recycling facilities, as well as the appropriate enforcement mechanisms, including survey, authorization, certification, inspection and reporting requirements.
Arsenio Dominguez, IMO Secretary-General, said in a statement: ““The entry into force of the Hong Kong Convention this year marks a watershed moment in our shared objective to promote sustainable and safe ship recycling practices globally.”
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.
It also 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.
Aside from the IMO, the Convention was developed with input from intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, and in cooperation with the International Labor Organization and the Parties to the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal.
The Convention was adopted at a Conference held in Hong Kong in May 2009. The requirements for its entry-into-force were reached in 2023, with the Convention taking effect 24 months later. Several ship recycling nations have already been implementing the Convention’s technical standards on a voluntary basis.
Most ships are recycled when they are taken out of operation, with almost all materials and equipment being re-used. 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 – shipowners, ship building yards, ship recycling facilities, flag states, port states and recycling states. To support developing countries, IMO has organized workshops on ship recycling to raise awareness of the Convention internationally.
Moreover, the 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, 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.
At present, 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, namely Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Türkiye. Altogether they cover 57.15% of the world’s shipping by tonnage.
“This achievement reflects years of dedicated work and will renew our drive to safeguard human health and the environment in this critical industry,” said Dominguez.
