The Merchant Shipping (Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships) Bill will be published in the Hong Kong Government Gazette on March 21 to enact legislation to implement the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, 2009 (HKC).
The Hong Kong Convention was adopted in Hong Kong, China on May 15, 2009, at the Diplomatic Conference of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) held in Hong Kong, China from May 11 to 15, 2009. It aims to ensure that ship recycling does not pose any unnecessary risk to human health, safety or the environment by addressing various issues in relation to ship recycling concerned by the IMO’s member states and other relevant parties. It will enter into force globally on June 26, 2025. The Central People’s Government is considering ratifying the HKC and will decide on the applicability of the HKC to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
The HKC regulates both ships and ship recycling facilities. Although some objectives of the Hong Kong Convention align with those of the local legislation, existing provisions of the local legislation are not enough to fully implement the requirements of the HKC. A new ordinance with a new regulation will hence be enacted, with the new ordinance to be enacted first to ensure that it will be in place before the global entry-into-force date.
A spokesman for the Transport and Logistics Bureau said, “Hong Kong is the fourth largest shipping register in the world with more than 2.300 ships. We aim to ensure that these ships will fully comply with the requirements of the HKC, which is conducive to promoting sustainable development for ships that have reached the end of their operating life and protection of workers and the environment in the context of ship recycling. We believe the shipping industry and the public will welcome the enactment of such a Bill.”
The Panel on Economic Development of the Legislative Council (LegCo) and the Hong Kong Fleet Operation Advisory Committee have been consulted. Members supported the proposal.
The Bill will be introduced into the LegCo on March 26.
Some 24 nations had ratified the Hong Kong Convention by the end of 2024. However, Bangladesh and Liberia had already triggered entry into force (June 26, 2025) in May 2023.
