One of the five major ship recycling countries in the world, Turkey, has approved the IMO Hong Kong Convention, the treaty for safe and ecologically sound ship recycling.
Turkey has become the seventh state to be a part of the Hong Kong Convention. The treaty will enter into force 24 months after ratification by 15 states, representing 40% of world merchant shipping by gross tonnage, and a combined maximum annual ship recycling volume not less than three percent of their combined tonnage.
What do you know about the Hong Kong Convention?
The Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, 2009, essentially covers the design, construction, operation and maintenance of ships, and groundwork for ship recycling in order to facilitate safe and environmentally sound recycling, without compromising the safety and operational efficiency of ships.
Under the Hong Kong Convention, ships to be sent for recycling are required to carry an inventory of hazardous materials, specific to each ship. Ship recycling yards are required to provide a ‘Ship Recycling Plan’ specifying the way each ship will be recycled, depending on its inventory.
Turkey’s ratification
In its ratification instrument, Turkey announces that it requires explicit approval of the Ship Recycling Plan before a ship may be recycled in its authorised Ship Recycling Facilities.
The seven contracting states, Belgium, Congo, Denmark, France, Norway, Panama and Turkey, represent more than 20% of world merchant shipping tonnage, and the combined annual ship recycling volume of the contracting states during the preceding 10 years is 1,652,961 GT, (0.62% of the merchant shipping tonnage of the same states).
Enhancing best practice to recycle ships
The top five countries in the world that recycle ships, accounting between them for more than 90% of all ship recycling by tonnage, are Bangladesh, China, India, Pakistan and Turkey.
IMO is implementing a project (SENSREC Phase II) in Bangladesh to develop safe and environmentally sound ship recycling essentially enhancing a roadmap towards accession to the Hong Kong convention.
The 19-month project is funded under a $1.1 million agreement with the Government of Norway. It focuses on building capacity within countries such as Bangladesh to develop a legal, policy and institutional reform roadmap towards accession to Convention and will train a variety of stakeholders.
