Hong Kong International Convention

Hong Kong International Convention for the safe and environmentally sound recycling of ships

The Hong Kong International Convention for the safe and environmentally sound recycling of ships, or Hong Kong Convention is a multilateral convention adopted in 2009, which has not entered into force. The conference that created the convention was attended by 63 countries, and overseen by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which is a specialist agency of the United Nations (U.N).

The Hong Kong Convention 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.

All vessels over 500 gross tonnes (GT) that are in commercial service (the convention does not apply to warships or naval auxiliary or ships operating their whole life only in waters subject to the sovereignty or jurisdiction of the State whose flag the ship is entitled to fly) will have to comply with the convention once it comes into force. Each party that does wish to comply must restrict the use of hazardous materials on all ships that fly the flag of that party.

?Adoption: 15 May 2009; Entry into force: 24 months after ratification by 15 States, representing 40 percent of world merchant shipping by gross tonnage, combined maximum annual ship recycling volume not less than 3 percent of their combined tonnage.

The Hong Kong Convention was adopted at a Diplomatic Conference held in Hong Kong, China, in May 2009 and was developed with input from IMO Member States and non governmental organizations, and in co-operation with the International Labour Organization and the Parties to the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal. It 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 will address concerns about working and environmental conditions in many of the world's ship recycling facilities.

In conclusion, following Japan’s accession, it appears that the entry-into-force conditions of Hong Kong Convention could be satisfied even within 2019 and therefore the Convention could enter-into-force two years later.

Regulations in the new Convention cover: the design, construction, operation and preparation of ships so as to facilitate safe and environmentally sound recycling, without compromising the safety and operational efficiency of ships; the operation of ship recycling facilities in a safe and environmentally sound manner; and the establishment of an appropriate enforcement mechanism for ship recycling, incorporating certification and reporting requirements.

1)Ships to be sent for recycling will be required to carry an inventory of hazardous materials, which will be specific to each ship.

2)Ships will be required to have an initial survey to verify the inventory of hazardous materials, renewal surveys during the life of the ship, and a final survey prior to recycling.

3)Ship recycling yards will be required to provide a Ship Recycling Plan.

4)To specify the manner in which each individual ship will be recycled, depending on its particulars and its inventory.

5)Parties will be required to take effective measures to ensure that ship recycling facilities under their jurisdiction comply with the Convention.

6) 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.

7) It also addresses concerns raised about the working and environmental conditions at many of the world's ship recycling locations.

The convention has been designed to try to improve the health and safety of current ship breaking practices.

Ship breaking is considered to be "amongst the most dangerous of occupations, with unacceptably high levels of fatalities, injuries and work-related diseases" by the ILO as large ships are often beached and then dismantled by hand by workers with very little personal protective equipment (PPE).

This is most common in Asia, with India, Bangladesh, China, and Pakistan holding the largest ship breaking yards.

The Inventory of Hazardous Materials has been designed to try to minimise the dangers of these hazards. The Convention defines a hazard as: “any material or substance which is liable to create hazards to human health and/or the environment“.

New ships must all carry an Inventory of Hazardous Materials.

The inventory will list all 'hazardous materials' on board the vessel, including their amounts and locations. Existing ships must comply no later than five years after the convention comes into force, or prior to being recycled if this occurs before the five-year period.

 The inventory will remain with a vessel throughout its lifespan, being updated as all new installations enter the ship, as these may potentially contain hazards. The presence of the inventory will then ensure the safety of crew members during the vessel's working life, and also the safety of workers during the recycling process.