Participants applaud as the International Maritime Organization's Diplomatic Conference on Ship Recycling concludes with the adoption of the "Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, 2009" on May 15 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The five-day International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Diplomatic Conference on Ship Recycling, which was held recently in Hong Kong, successfully concluded with the adoption of an important international convention, the “Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, 2009.” The convention provides a regulatory framework to ensure ships are disposed of in a safe and environmentally friendly manner at the end of their operating life.

Delegates from more than 60 member states and associate members gave their expert advice on developing the text of the convention and reached a consensus. A total of 59 member states signed the convention.

Attending the May 15 signing ceremony, Hong Kong Secretary for Transport and Housing Eva Cheng said Hong Kong was proud to play host to the first IMO diplomatic conference in Asia and witness its fruitful conclusion. “We are truly honored and delighted by the IMO’s resolution to name the convention as the ‘Hong Kong Convention’ as a token of appreciation to Hong Kong,” she said.

“This significant international convention provides a single regulatory platform needed to address safety, health and environmental issues in the disposal of end-of-life ships. It will help protect the health of workers in recycling yards, reduce damage to the environment and be instrumental to the sustainable development of the shipping industry worldwide.”

The convention provides guidelines for the industry in three broad fields: the design, construction, operation and preparation of ships for recycling; the operation of ship-recycling facilities in a safe and environmentally sound manner; and the establishment of an appropriate implementation mechanism, including surveys and certification, inspections and reporting requirements.

One of the most important requirements under the new convention is the need to have an updated inventory of hazardous materials on board a ship so that necessary precautionary measures can be taken to protect the workers as well as the environment at the recycling yard.

A number of guidelines, which are being or will be developed by the IMO’s Marine Environmental Protection Committee, will assist in its uniform implementation.
The new convention, which incorporates a port state control concept based on the no-more-favorable treatment principle, ensures a level playing field for all interested parties while respecting the global nature of shipping by advocating internationally applicable measures.

“The Hong Kong Shipping Register has just crossed the 41 million gross-tonnage mark and our shipowners own, manage or operate nearly 10% of the world's merchant fleet,” Ms. Cheng said. “Our shipping industry has been an active and responsible member of the global shipping community, and Hong Kong will certainly play our part in supporting the regulatory framework for ship recycling based on the convention. The IMO’s decision to hold its diplomatic conference in Asia here in Hong Kong underlines again Hong Kong's status as an international maritime center.”