Bangladesh and Liberia to join Hong Kong’s convention for safe and environmentally sound recycling of ships

Bangladesh and Liberia are set to join Hong Kong’s convention set to enter into force by 26 June 2025, for the safe and environmentally sound recycling of ships.

PHOTO: Getty Images

The Hong Kong Convention aims to ensure that ships are recycled after they complete their operational lives and that they don’t pose any unnecessary threats to the environment.

Before the convention enters into force in the next 24 months, a few criteria must be met:

• At least 15 states to take part in the convention
• 40% of the world’s merchant shipping by gross tonnage
• Ship recycling capacity of not less than 3% of the gross tonnage of the combined merchant shipping of those 15 states

Secretary-General Kitack Lim said, “I invite other Member States, who have not yet become a party to the Hong Kong Convention, to do so as soon as possible.”

In 2009, the Hong Kong Convention was adopted in Hong Kong. The convention calls upon shipowners, shipbuilding yards, ship recycling facilities, flag states, port states, and recycling states to take responsibility to achieve its goal.

The existing contracting parties in the convention include Bangladesh, Belgium, the Republic of Congo, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Japan, Liberia, etc.

The Industry supports this new convention –

BIMCO said, “The ratification comes at a time when the need for compliant facilities from the main recycling states such as India, Bangladesh and Pakistan are critical, as more than 15,000 ships will be recycled over the next ten years.”

President of the Philippines Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr said, “The entire transportation industry, including shipping of course, is undergoing a huge transformation marked by the coming of new and sustainable fuels, as well as an increasing deployment of digitisation and automation.”

“A central part of this change necessarily includes investing in a highly qualified and well-trained workforce that will build, maintain, and man these shipping vessels and sail towards other opportunities,” he added.

By Aparupa Mazumder 

Please get in touch with comments or additional info to news@engine.online