7 – 9 April. World
Maritime University. Malmo, Sweden
Ship recycling is undoubtedly the most
environmentally friendly way to dispose of ships reaching the end of their
operational lives. Almost all the material on board the ship can be recycled,
reused or refurbished. The recycling market and its processes are affected by
the overall socio-economic aspects of shipping.
The ship recycling, breaking, dismantling, demolition
or scrapping industry is mainly led by five countries which process around 97%
of the world’s tonnage. For some nations, the recycled products form an
essential part of the local and national economy.
Despite its indisputable benefits, ship recycling
faces numerous challenges and public awareness has grown about the
environmental, safety and health problems in this area. So, the working
conditions and the environmental impact of recycling processes are under
scrutiny.With the rising international awareness on environment and ship
recycling issues, international bodies such as the International Maritime
Organization (IMO), the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) particularly
through the Basel Convention (BC) and the International Labour Organization
(ILO) have developed guidelines and created a joint working group to address
the issue.
The year 2009 marked another phase because the IMO
adopted the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally
Sound Recycling of Ships (Hong Kong Convention). The Convention has become the
main international instrument intending to regulate this industry. The Hong
Kong Convention affects ship recycling facilities; shipowners and shipbuilders
as well as State regulations on the topic.Soon, the key players in the
recycling process will have to comply with stringent regulations. While not yet
entered into force, the adoption of the Convention already impacts the ship
recycling markets as well as national regulations in the main recycling
countries. In parallel, the shipping industry tends to absorb the expected
consequences of the Convention.
Therefore, it is expected that people from Governing
Bodies, Administrations, Shipowners’ community, Ship recycling industry,
Shipbuilding yards, Classification Societies, Non-Governmental Organizations,
Universities and Research Institutes will participate in the Conference.
Participants from all over the world will be given the opportunity to share
knowledge and exchange the latest information and innovative ideas.
Source: World
Maritime University.
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