The Hong Kong International Convention for
the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, 2009 (the Hong Kong
Convention), was adopted at a diplomatic conference held in Hong Kong, China,
from 11 to 15 May 2009, which was attended by delegates from 63 countries.
The Convention is aimed at ensuring that
ships, when being recycled after reaching the end of their operational lives,
do not pose any unnecessary risks to human health, safety and to the
environment.
The Hong Kong Convention intends to address
all the issues around ship recycling, including the fact that ships sold for
scrapping may contain environmentally hazardous substances such as asbestos,
heavy metals, hydrocarbons, ozone-depleting substances and others. It also
addresses concerns raised about the working and environmental conditions at
many of the world's ship recycling locations.
The text of the Hong Kong Convention was
developed over three and a half years, with input from IMO Member States and
relevant non-governmental organizations, and in co-operation with the
International Labour Organization and the Parties to the Basel Convention.
Regulations in the new Convention cover: the
design, construction, operation and preparation of ships so as to facilitate
safe and environmentally sound recycling without compromising the safety and
operational efficiency of ships; the operation of ship recycling facilities in
a safe and environmentally sound manner; and the establishment of an
appropriate enforcement mechanism for ship recycling, incorporating
certification and reporting requirements.
Upon entry into force of the Hong Kong
Convention, ships to be sent for recycling will be required to carry an
inventory of hazardous materials, which will be specific to each ship. An
appendix to the Convention provides a list of hazardous materials the
installation or use of which is prohibited or restricted in shipyards, ship
repair yards, and ships of Parties to the Convention. Ships will be required to
have an initial survey to verify the inventory of hazardous materials,
additional surveys during the life of the ship, and a final survey prior to
recycling.
Ship recycling yards will be required to
provide a "Ship Recycling Plan", specifying the manner in which each
ship will be recycled, depending on its particulars and its inventory. Parties
will be required to take effective measures to ensure that ship recycling
facilities under their jurisdiction comply with the Convention.
The following guidelines have been developed
and adopted to assist States in the early implementation of the Convention’s
technical standards:
- 2011
Guidelines for the Development of the Inventory of Hazardous Materials, adopted
by resolution MEPC.197(62);
- 2011 Guidelines for the Development of the
Ship Recycling Plan, adopted by resolution MEPC.196(62);
- 2012 Guidelines for Safe and Environmentally
Sound Ship Recycling, adopted by resolution MEPC.210(63); and
- 2012 Guidelines for the
Authorization of Ship Recycling Facilities, adopted by resolution MEPC.211(63).
Also two further guidelines have been
developed and adopted to assist States in the implementation of the Convention
after it enters into force:
- 2012
Guidelines for the survey and certification of ships under the Hong Kong
Convention, adopted by resolution MEPC.222(64); and
- 2012 Guidelines for the inspection of ships
under the Hong Kong Convention, adopted by resolution MEPC.223(64).
Entry into force criteria
The Convention is open for accession by any
State. It will enter into force -
24 months after the date on which 15 States,
representing 40 per cent of world merchant shipping by gross tonnage, have
either signed it without reservation as to ratification, acceptance or approval
or have deposited instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or
accession with the Secretary-General. Furthermore, the combined maximum annual
ship recycling volume of those States must, during the preceding 10 years,
constitute not less than 3 per cent of their combined merchant shipping
tonnage. For more detailed information
please refer to resolution MEPC.178(59) on the calculation of the recycling
capacity for meeting the entry-into-force conditions of the Hong Kong Convention
and document MEPC 64/INF.2/Rev.1 on
the same topic.
Historic background
IMO’s role in the recycling of ships, the
terminology used to refer to ship scrapping, was first raised at the 44th MEPC
session in March 2000 following which a correspondence group was established to
research this issue and provide information about current ship recycling
practices and suggestions on the role of IMO.
Guidelines were developed by the Marine
Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) and finalized at the MEPC 49th session
in July 2003. These guidelines were adopted as the: Guidelines on Ship
Recycling by the 23rd Assembly in November-December 2003 by resolution
A.962(23) and were subsequently amended by resolution A.980(24).
Resolution A.962(23) IMO Guidelines on Ship
Recycling give advice to all stakeholders in the recycling process, including
administrations of ship building and maritime equipment supplying countries,
flag, port and recycling States, as well as intergovernmental organizations and
commercial bodies such as shipowners, ship builders, repairers and recycling
yards.
The guidelines noted that, in the process of
recycling ships, virtually nothing goes to waste. The materials and equipment
are almost entirely reused. Steel is reprocessed to become, for instance,
reinforcing rods for use in the construction industry or as corner castings and
hinges for containers. Ships' generators are reused ashore. Batteries find
their way into the local economy. Hydrocarbons on board become reclaimed oil
products to be used as fuel in rolling mills or brick kilns. Light fittings
find further use on land. Furthermore, new steel production from recycled steel
requires only one third of the energy used for steel production from raw
materials. Recycling thus makes a positive contribution to the global
conservation of energy and resources and, in the process, employs a large, if
predominantly unskilled, workforce. Properly handled, ship recycling is,
without question, a "green" industry. However, the guidelines also
recognized that, although the principle of ship recycling may be sound, the
working practices and environmental standards in the yards often leave much to
be desired. While ultimate responsibility for conditions in the yards has to
lie with the countries in which they are situated, other stakeholders must be
encouraged to contribute towards minimising potential problems in the yards.
The Guidelines on Ship Recycling also
introduced the concept of a "Green Passport" for ships. It was
envisaged that this document, containing an inventory of all materials used in
the construction of a ship that are potentially hazardous to human health or
the environment, would accompany the ship throughout its working life. Produced
by the shipyard at the construction stage and passed to the purchaser of the
vessel, the document would be in a format that would enable any subsequent
changes in materials or equipment to be recorded. Successive owners of the ship
would maintain the accuracy of the Green Passport and incorporate into it all
relevant design and equipment changes, with the final owner delivering it, with
the vessel, to the recycling yard.
Subsequently, at its 53rd session in July
2005, the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) agreed that the IMO
should develop, as a high priority, a new instrument on recycling of ships with
a view to providing legally binding and globally applicable ship recycling
regulations for international shipping and for recycling facilities. MEPC 53
also agreed that the new IMO instrument on ship recycling should include
regulations for the design, construction, operation and preparation of ships so
as to facilitate safe and environmentally sound recycling, without compromising
the safety and operational efficiency of ships; the operation of ship recycling
facilities in a safe and environmentally sound manner; and the establishment of
an appropriate enforcement mechanism for ship recycling
(certification/reporting requirements). MEPC 53 further agreed that the
above-mentioned instrument should be completed in time for its consideration
and adoption in the biennium 2008-2009.
The IMO Assembly in November-December 2005
subsequently agreed that IMO should develop a new legally-binding instrument on
ship recycling. Assembly resolution A.981(24) New legally-binding instrument on
Ship Recycling requested the Marine Environment Protection Committee to develop
a new instrument that would provide regulations for:
- the
design, construction, operation and preparation of ships so as to facilitate safe and environmentally sound
recycling, without compromising the safety and operational efficiency of ships;
- the
operation of ship recycling facilities in a safe and environmentally sound
manner; and
- the establishment of an appropriate
enforcement mechanism for ship recycling, incorporating certification and
reporting requirements.
The resolution referred to the urgent need
for IMO to contribute to the development of an effective solution to the issue
of ship recycling, which will minimize, in the most effective, efficient and
sustainable way, the environmental, occupational health and safety risks
related to ship recycling, taking into account the particular characteristics
of world maritime transport and the need for securing the smooth withdrawal of
ships that have reached the end of their operating lives.
Source:
international maritime organization.
http://www.imo.org/en/ourwork/environment/shiprecycling/pages/default.aspx
