Tag: Hong Kong Convention

  The NGO Shipbreaking Platform published a briefing paper titled “What a difference a flag makes – Why ship owners’ responsibility to ensure sustainable ship recycling needs to go beyond flag state jurisdiction”. The briefing paper raises concerns regarding new legislation meant to regulate ship recycling practices, in particular the European Union Ship Recycling Regulation and the International Maritime Organisation’s Hong Kong Convention, and argues that legislation mainly based on flag state jurisdiction will neither be able to solve the problems of substandard shipbreaking nor enforce the polluter pays principle on ship owners. The analysis of the link between flags of convenience (FOCs), in particular “end-of-life flags” and substandard shipbreaking practices, shows that FOCs are likely to undermine the implementation of the polluter pays principle by making it easy for ship owners to circumvent legislation by flagging-out to a non-party or a non-compliant flag. In conclusion, the briefing paper asserts that solutions urgently needed to ensure sustainable ship recycling must go beyond flag state jurisdiction in order to close the loopholes created by the FOC system. Currently, most ship owners circumvent existing legislation meant to protect in particular developing countries from hazardous wastes present within the structure of end-of-life vessels, ...

  The NGO Shipbreaking Platform, a Brussels based coalition of environmental and human rights organisations, has published a list of ship owners and ships sold for dismantling in 2014. According to that list, compiled and based on research by the NGO Shipbreaking Platform, several shipping companies were the beneficial owner or charterer of vessels that were beached for dismantling on the Indian subcontinent in 2014. Ship dismantling on the beaching yards of Bangladesh, India and Pakistan is associated with severe pollution and unsafe working conditions. Members of the Clean Shipping Network (CSN) strongly condemn and distance themselves from such ship breaking practices. By addressing this issue, Clean Shipping Network members aim to support progress to cleaner and safer ship recycling practices globally. Shipping companies, mentioned on the list from the NGO Shipbreaking Platform, are asked by CSN members to review their policies and practices regarding the selling and recycling of end-of-life vessels. Suppliers are also asked to answer the question on their ship recycling policy in the Clean Shipping Index questionnaire, a tool used by leading international cargo owners to evaluate the environmental performance of their providers of sea transports. For guidance on safe and environmentally sound ship recycling, the ...

In a position paper published, European shipowners call for a swift ratification of the 2009 IMO Hong Kong Convention (HKC), which is aimed at ensuring that ships, when being recycled after reaching the end of their operational lives, do not pose any unnecessary risk to human health and safety or to the environment. European shipowners also call for a smart application of the 2013 EU Ship Recycling Regulation (EU SRR) so that the latter act as a lever by incentivising ship recycling yards to upgrade towards compliance with the HKC requirements. Finally, EU shipowners also issue recommendations to the shipping industry to ensure the proper recycling of their ships, especially during the interim period preceding the entry into force of the HKC and full application of the EU SRR. The safe and environment-friendly recycling of end-of-life ships is a topic that has been picking up momentum in the last years and European shipowners are committed to contributing to the efforts to improve the international regulatory framework. “We need to ensure that the Hong Kong Convention is ratified as soon as possible” commented Patrick Verhoeven, ECSA Secretary-General. “It places clear obligations on all operators and on all IMO parties to make ...

BIMCO has posted an article on its website written by Watchkeeper regarding the recent developments on ship recycling and the invitation to Europe by GMS to witness ship recycling procedures.  Recycling, shipbreaking, dismantling or scrapping – no matter how it is termed – is the inevitable end of just about every ship that is ever built. For obvious reasons it is an activity which has largely migrated to the developing world, in particular to the beaches and high tidal ranges of the sub-continent. It would be idle to pretend that it is an industry where industrial, developed world contemporary ideas of health, safety and the environment are to be found. Nevertheless, in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, large numbers of people are able to make a living from this activity, with almost all of the products from these redundant ships finding a further use, much of it in the region.  Many of those involved in this business are very conscious of the need to both improve safety and mitigate the effects upon the environment, although their efforts are necessarily incremental and constrained by resources. Speaking at a Capital Link CSR Forum in London, Dr. Nikos Mikelis, non-executive director of GMS, the ...

The IMO Committee on Protection of the Marine Environment (MEPC) held its 67th Session from Monday 13 through Friday 17 October 2014 in IMO Headquarters in London. MEPC 67 considered the report of a correspondence group which was tasked with developing threshold values, exemptions and bulk listings applicable to the materials to be listed in Inventories of Hazardous Materials, required under the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, 2009.In view of time constraints, the Committee decided to refer the CG report and associated documents to PPR2, instructing the Sub-Committee to establish a WG on Ship Recycling at that session. Only 3 States have ratified or acceded to the Hong Kong Convention 2009 so far, namely NORWAY, the CONGO and FRANCE.  MEPC 66 established a CG, instructing it to finalize the development of threshold values, exemptions and bulk listings applicable to materials listed in the Inventories of Hazardous Materials (IHM) and to prepare relevant amendments to the 2011 IHM Guidelines. Source: IntermanagerIn the start, I was open with you propecia before and after has changed my subsistence. It has become much more fun, and now I have to run. Just as it is incredible ...

Global Marketing Systems, Inc (GMS), the world's largest cash buyer of ships for recycling, has welcomed the announcement that German owner, Hapag-Lloyd, will no longer sell vessels to recycling yards that do not comply with strict environmental regulations and guidelines. Dr Anil Sharma, President and CEO of GMS, applauds a company of this stature taking the lead with its ship recycling policy and says: "It will be good to see, well ahead of proposed regulations entering in force, many more companies following this example by providing their ships with Inventories of Hazardous Materials and by ensuring that their ships are recycled in line with the guidelines of the IMO's Hong Kong Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, 2009." "This will ease the entry into force of the Hong Kong Convention because recycling yards around the world will realise the need to be prepared and to invest in safety and environmental protection improvements." Dr Sharma advises caution, however, in managing what is effectively a whole new way for the industry to do business. "At this early stage, shipowners must target their custom towards recycling yards in all areas of the world, including India, China and Turkey. Whilst ...

GMS applauds early moves towards responsible recycling around the world

According to International Maritime Organization (IMO), France became the third State to ratify the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships​, 2009 (following the Congo and Norway). 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. 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 ...

The third member to ratify the Hong Kong International Convention According to International Maritime Organization (IMO), France became the third State to ratify the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships​, 2009 (following the Congo and Norway).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.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 ...

The NGO Shipbreaking Platform, a global coalition of organisations seeking to prevent dirty and dangerous shipbreaking practices worldwide, published the complete list of ships that were dismantled around in the world  in 2013. Of the 1213 large ocean-going vessels that were scrapped in 2013, 645 were sold to substandard beaching facilities in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh . Approximately 40% of these ships were EU-owned.  The new EU regulation on ship recycling entered into force on 30 December 2013. However, unless an economic incentive is added to it, the registration of European ships under flags of convenience will allow ship owners to sail around the new regulation and continue dumping their toxic ships in substandard facilities. End-of-life vessels contain toxic materials such as asbestos, heavy metals, PCBs and organic waste within their structures. South Asia has become a preferred dumping ground as environmental, safety and labour rights standards are poorly enforced there.  Ship owners are able to sell their ships to the beach breakers for considerably greater profit than if they were sold to clean and safe recycling facilities. "Whereas the number of dismantled ships remained nearly as high as in 2012, the number of beached ships dropped from 850 to ...