ICS Launches Ship Recycling Guide
The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has released an extensive Ship Recycling Guide, offering valuable guidance to shipowners and stakeholders on complying with the provisions of the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships (Hong Kong Convention).
This release is timely, coinciding with Bangladesh's announcement of its intention to ratify the Hong Kong Convention. Such a move is vital to ensuring that decommissioned vessels do not pose risks to human health, safety, or the environment.
Enacted in 2009, the Convention's primary goal is to mitigate health, safety, and environmental risks. It mandates ships carry an inventory of all hazardous materials onboard before being sent for recycling. Recycling facilities must then provide a Ship Recycling Plan tailored to each vessel's specific characteristics and hazardous materials inventory.
John Stawpert, Senior Manager (Environment and Trade) of the International Chamber of Shipping, stated:
"The guide marks the next phase in ICS's 25-year commitment to safe and environmentally sound ship recycling, beginning with the Industry Code of Practice published in 2001, which formed the basis of IMO's guidance, to the burgeoning global ship recycling regime of the Hong Kong Convention today."
The new Ship Recycling Guide clarifies the distinctions between the European Union Ship Recycling Regulation and the Hong Kong Convention, ensuring companies' compliance with the relevant laws.
John Stawpert further added:
"Environmental, Social and Governance factors and demands from charterers and customers have made Hong Kong Convention compliance the growing standard for ship recycling sales and the recycling process itself. Ratification by major ship recyclers like Bangladesh further confirms this trend, and the convention's entry into force will create the global level playing field that has been evolving for a generation. Compliance with the Convention's requirements will be essential for ship recyclers to secure their market share in the future."
The guide covers essential topics, including relevant regulations (such as the European ship recycling regulation), surveys, development and maintenance of the Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM), and how to sell and prepare a ship for recycling.
Sarah Lovell, Technical Writer at the International Chamber of Shipping, commented:
"This new comprehensive guide has been designed to equip shipowners and crew with the necessary knowledge to ensure a safe and sustainable recycling process. We've ensured it covers everything from the development and maintenance of the inventory of hazardous materials (IHM) while the ship is in service, through to preparing the ship for safe and sustainable recycling at the end-of-life."
Whether dealing with a new build ship, system upgrades onboard, or end-of-life ship recycling, this guide proves indispensable for shipowners, ship managers, crew, masters, and chief engineers.
For more information and to order the ICS Ship Recycling Guide, please visit: https://publications.ics-shipping.org/
Source: ICS
