The IMO – International Maritime Organisation, agency of the United Nations – provided the Hong Kong Convention for Ship Recycling.

The Hong Kong Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships

The convention was adopted at a diplomatic conference held in Hong Kong from the 11th – 15th May 2009. It was held specifically to address the on-going issue surrounding ship recycling, as it is known to be a highly dangerous job for workers, with little safety and environmental regulation. The convention has worked closely with the parties of the Basel Convention and International Labour Organisation.

The Basel Convention published the ‘Technical Guidelines for the Environmentally Sound Management of the Full and Partial Dismantling of Ships’ in 2003 which was a predecessor to the Hong Kong Convention. This document defined the ‘environmentally sound management of ship dismantling’ as:

“taking all practicable steps to ensure that hazardous wastes or other wastes are managed in a manner that will protect human health” (Technical Guidelines for the Environmentally Sound Management of the Full and Partial Dismantling of Ships 2003:24)

The Hong Kong Convention is in place to impliment this through legislation and includes the presence of hazards on ships “hazardous substances such as asbestos, heavy metals, hydrocarbons, ozone-depleting substances and others” (http://www.imo.org/conventions/mainframe.asp?topic_id=1790 Retrieved on 29/09/2010)

Inventory of Hazardous Materials

One of the main sections of the Convention to this end is the inventory of hazardous materials, a Green Passport for ships, which will require all commercial ships to carry an inventory of all hazardous substances on board a vessel throughout her life. This will also determine whether or not a vessel is accepted into ports and recycling yards.

Lucion Marine provide Green Passports for vessels. Our clients can relax in confidence that our large site teams will fly out to most international ports in order to carry out inventory of hazardous materials surveys for vessels from all different shipping sectors. To find out more, contact us.