The
release of the car carrier Global Spirit, previously detained for three weeks
by Belgian environmental authorities in the port of Antwerp, has been welcomed
by the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS).
The vessel had been
detained for alleged noncompliance with the European Union Waste
Shipment
Regulation, originally scheduled for recycling in a non-OECD country. ICS
claims that the detention was inappropriate, and that this EU Regulation was
never intended for international shipping or to ships which are scheduled to be
recycled. However, ICS is pleased that
the local authorities have come to an understanding with the ship owner.
ICS also greatly
welcomes the emphasis now being given by the Belgian authorities to the
importance of the rapid entry into force of the International Maritime
Organization (IMO) Hong Kong Convention on Ship Recycling and its commitment to
speed up Belgium’s ratification of this important Convention.
ICS fully agrees
with the Belgian authorities that the entry into force of the IMO Convention
‘is the best guarantee and the only way forward for sustainable ship recycling’
throughout the global shipping industry.
ICS reiterates the
following points, which were communicated by ICS to the Flemish Ministry of the
Environment when the ship was still detained:
The EU European
Waste Shipment Regulation, and the Basel Convention on the Control of
Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes (on which the EU Regulation is
based) were never intended for application to international shipping or to
ships which are scheduled to be recycled. This important point has been
repeatedly recognized during discussions that have taken place since the Basel
Convention was adopted.
The international
regime pertinent to international shipping is the IMO Hong Kong Convention for
the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships. While this instrument
has not yet entered into force, it is fully supported by the international
shipping industry. It also provides a more relevant basis for determining
whether a shipping company is meeting its responsibilities to ensure that
redundant ships are indeed being recycled in a safe and environmentally sustainable
manner.
All IMO Member
States are therefore encouraged to work towards the ratification of the IMO
Hong Kong Convention as soon as possible.
The international
shipping industry is fully committed to the safe and environmentally friendly
recycling of redundant ships. This is demonstrated by the development by the
industry of Guidelines on Transitional Measures for Shipowners Selling Ships
for Recycling, which sets out the two measures that shipowners might reasonably
undertake in order to adhere to the spirit of the IMO Hong Kong Convention in
advance of its entry into force.
Source:
marine link. 27 June 2014
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