Tag: Hong Kong Convention

The ship demolition industry is one of the fastest-growing industries. The inclination towards environment-friendly demolition of ships after their completion of the ship's service period is picking up pace, argues Mr Rohit Agarwal, Managing Partner at GUIDESHIP CONSULTING SERVICES LLP.

ICS, the International Shipsuppliers & Services Association (ISSA), BIMCO and the International HazMat Association (IHMA) have collaborated to develop a new guide to help both shipowners and ship suppliers comply with both the current EU Ship Recycling Regulations (EUSRR) and the Hong Kong Convention on Ship Recycling (HKC) where ratification is anticipated next year.

Firstly, introduced in 2019, the Hong Kong Convention still waits for its ratification and will enter into force 24 months after it has been ratified from 15 States, representing 40 per cent of the worlds’ merchant shipping by gross tonnage.

Considering the projected sharp increase in demand for ship recycling after 2023, because of the accelerated replacement of existing vessels by eco-friendly alternatives, ASA reaffirmed the need for early entry into force of the HKC as well as for the urgent expansion of Green Yards in multiple countries. 

EU-flagged vessels intended to be scrapped whilst under EU jurisdiction, are no longer exempted from EU waste laws.

In an exclusive interview to SAFETY4SEA, Dr Nikos Mikelis, Non-executive Director, GMS, provides updates of the regulatory scheme surrounding ship recycling and the current situation in ship recycling yards.

While the Hong Kong Convention has been a big step towards sustainable ship recycling, the EU regulation has slowed its adoption; a concern that should be dealt with the utmost urgency by all stakeholders, said ship buyer GMS.

Spain is the latest country to accede to IMO's treaty for safe and environmentally-sound ship recycling – the Hong Kong Convention.

Ships reach their ‘end-of-life’ when their second hand sale value for further trading drops below their recycling value. This can happen for many reasons, such as ship’s condition deterioration, but the ship recycling procees must take place with caution. However, this does not always happen, with such cases providing lessons learned. One such case is the Eide carrier. 

Croatia became the latest country to accede to Hong Kong Convention, the IMO's treaty for safe and environmentally-sound ship recycling. Now, the 16 contracting states to the Convention represent approximately 29.58% of the gross tonnage of the world's merchant shipping.