The Belgium
authorities have called for the rapid entry into force of the Hong Kong
Convention on ship recycling following the three-week detention of the vessel
Global Spirit in the port of Antwerp.
The vessel was
released on 26 June after being held for three weeks over issues of
non-compliance with the EU Waste Shipment Regulation and the shipowner’s plan
to export the vessel to a non-OECD country for scrapping. The ship has since
obtained approved notification has been allowed to sail to a recycling yard in
Turkey.
“The Belgian
authorities want to stress the importance of the rapid entry into force of the
Hong Kong Convention which is better adapted to the needs and concerns of the
shipping industry, as also the European Ship Recycling Regulation will not
provide a solution for ships flying the flag of a third country when going for
recycling,” the Flemish government said in statement.
“Belgium will
thereto speed up its accession process to the Hong Kong Convention, which they
believe is the best guarantee and the only way forward for sustainable ship
recycling, within and outside the OECD.”
The International
Chamber of Shipping (ICS) said it “greatly welcomes” the emphasis now being
given by the Belgian authorities on the entry into force of the Hong Kong
Convention.
The Hong Kong
Convention was adopted in 2009 but to-date has only been ratified by a single
state.
Environmental and
safety standards in ship recycling are a long running issue and just this
weekend five workers were killed in blast at a shipbreaking yard in Alang,
India.
Source: seatrade-global.
30 June 2014
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