THE UN's International Maritime Organisation's (IMO) five day diplomatic conference on scrap yard standards ended in Hong Kong last week with the adoption of the "Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, 2009".
This provides a regulatory framework to ensure ships are disposed of in a safe and environmentally friendly manner at the end of their operating life, said the post conference communiqu?
Fifty nine of the more than 60 member and associated member states signed the convention. Attending the signing ceremony, was Hong Kong Transport Secretary Eva Cheng, who said: "We are truly honoured and delighted by the IMO's resolution to name the convention as the 'Hong Kong Convention' as a token of appreciation to Hong Kong."
The convention provides guidelines for the industry in the design, construction, operation and preparation of ships for recycling; the operation of scrap yards in a safe, environmentally sound manner and the implementation reporting standards, licensing and inspection procedures.
"One of the most important requirements under the new convention is the need to have an updated inventory of hazardous materials on board a ship so that necessary precautionary measures could be taken to protect the workers as well as the environment at the recycling yard," said the communique.
Associated with the new convention will be a number of guidelines that are being, or will be, developed by the IMO's Marine Environmental Protection Committee to assist uniform implementation.
The new convention, which incorporates a port state control concept based on the no-more-favourable treatment principle, ensures a level playing field for all interested parties, while respecting the global nature of shipping by advocating internationally applicable measures.
This provides a regulatory framework to ensure ships are disposed of in a safe and environmentally friendly manner at the end of their operating life, said the post conference communiqu?
Fifty nine of the more than 60 member and associated member states signed the convention. Attending the signing ceremony, was Hong Kong Transport Secretary Eva Cheng, who said: "We are truly honoured and delighted by the IMO's resolution to name the convention as the 'Hong Kong Convention' as a token of appreciation to Hong Kong."
The convention provides guidelines for the industry in the design, construction, operation and preparation of ships for recycling; the operation of scrap yards in a safe, environmentally sound manner and the implementation reporting standards, licensing and inspection procedures.
"One of the most important requirements under the new convention is the need to have an updated inventory of hazardous materials on board a ship so that necessary precautionary measures could be taken to protect the workers as well as the environment at the recycling yard," said the communique.
Associated with the new convention will be a number of guidelines that are being, or will be, developed by the IMO's Marine Environmental Protection Committee to assist uniform implementation.
The new convention, which incorporates a port state control concept based on the no-more-favourable treatment principle, ensures a level playing field for all interested parties, while respecting the global nature of shipping by advocating internationally applicable measures.