Global: The Asian Shipowners Association
(ASA) has rejected proposals to introduce payments for EU ship recycling
licences. The European Commission is considering introducing a levy on all
ships entering EU ports in the hope of improving related working and
environmental conditions in developing countries.
The proposed levy would be returned at the
end-of-life stage when a ship has been recycled at a yard approved by the
European Commission. But the ASA argues that this concept is ‘neither realistic
nor practical’ given the periods of time potentially involved and the fact that
a vessel’s ownership could change.
According to the ASA, it should be a priority
for the European Commission to encourage EU member states to ratify the Hong
Kong Convention. It should also recognise that Asian recycling yards are
committed to gaining certification in compliance with International Maritime
Organization (IMO) standards. The ASA adds that ‘the Convention will not enter
into force unless some of ship recycling states in Asia ratify the Convention’.
The Hong Kong International Convention for
the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships was adopted by the IMO at
a conference in Hong Kong seven years ago. Since then, it has been ratified by
only a couple of the 15 ship-owning and ship-scrapping nations that represent
40% of the world’s gross tonnage.
Source: recycling
international. 25 July 2016
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