Turkey has opted in late October to require the submission for approval of a Ship Recycling Plan before a ship may be recycled in the country’s approved Ship Recycling Facilities, in line with Hong Kong Convention, according to information from Turkish lawyers, ErsoyBilgehan.
Although Turkey became the latest country to ratify the Convention in March 2017, it had not chosen until now a manner of approval before a ship can be recycled in the approved facilities, but now informed that it would require the approval of the Ship Recycling Plan as a precondition of ship recycling under the Hong Kong Convention, Mr. M. Raci ALPER from the law firm explained.
The Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships (2009) ensures safe and environmentally friendly ship recycling, considering 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 treaty will enter into force 24 months after ratification by 15 States, representing 40% of world merchant shipping by gross tonnage. So far, six states have ratified the Convention.