PHP Family recycling yard in Chittagong,
Bangladesh has just received a Statement of Compliance with the Hong Kong
Convention, for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships from
international Classification Society RINA. The yard is the first to gain Hong
Kong Convention compliance certification in the country.
IMO Secretary General Kitack Lim visited the
yard earlier this year and said the yard is a role model for others in the
country.
Cash buyer GMS says it is an important
development towards a more sustainable ship recycling industry, further raising
the bar in the standards for this sector in Bangladesh. Dr. Anil Sharma,
President and CEO of GMS, said: “PHP Family yard has worked hard to improve
their safety and environmental standards by following successfully the Hong
Kong Convention guidelines, which are enabling the whole ship recycling
industry to achieve sustainable goals for ship recycling. We sincerely hope
that this great achievement will attract more shipowners to yards that are
endorsing responsible ship recycling and lead as an example for the rest in
Bangladesh.”
The Hong Kong Convention, adopted in 2009 but
not yet entered into force, includes regulations for shipowners, recycling
facilities, flag states and recycling states to ensure that end-of-life ships
do not pose any unnecessary risks to human health, safety and the environment
when being recycled.
The European Union adopted the E.U. Ship
Recycling Regulation in 2013. It brings forward the requirements of the Hong
Kong Convention and applies them to end of life ships flagged with E.U. Member
States. According to the regulation, owners of ships flying the flag of E.U.
Member States will have to ensure that their ships are recycled in facilities
included on the E.U. list of approved ship recycling facilities.
The European Commission published its first
edition of the E.U. list in 2016. The next edition of the list, expected to
include yards outside Europe, is expected to be published by the end of 2017.
Dr. Mikelis, Non-Executive Director of GMS,
said: “A decision is awaited for the yards that are outside the E.U. and have
applied for inclusion in the E.U. approved list of recycling facilities. These
yards are already holding Statements of Compliance with the Hong Kong
Convention, so they have proven that they meet the high safety and
environmental standards laid out in the Hong Kong Convention through
significant investment, training and development within the region. Excluding
these yards would create an insurmountable divide within the industry based
solely on their geographic location and threaten to halt the positive progress
made by the Hong Kong Convention in South Asia.”
In India, as of the end of August, 41 yards
have received Statements of Compliance with the Hong Kong Convention (seven
from ClassNK, 30 RINA and four from IRQS). Another 15 yards are progressing
towards obtaining their Statement of Compliance.
PHP Family recycling yard:
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Source:
maritime-executive.
23 October 2017
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