In the June issue of the Assagenti Newsletter, lawyer Alberto Bregante analyses the practical implications of the entry into force, starting on 26 June 2025, of the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, adopted within the IMO in 2009.
The entry into force of the Convention introduces new burdens and obligations for the various parties it addresses, namely shipowners, shipbuilding and ship recycling yards, and several national authorities such as those of the so called flag States, port States and recycling States. The effective implementation of the Convention is intended to be ensured through periodic inspections of ships and specific certifications, such as the Inventory of Hazardous Materials on board, the Ship Recycling Plan, or the “International Ready for Recycling Certificate”.
Although the entry into force of the Convention represents an important development for the shipping and shipbreaking industries, some issues remain open to date, including the need to coordinate the Hong Kong Convention with the 1989 Basel Convention on the transboundary movement of waste, as well as with the relevant EU legislation, namely Regulation (EU) No 1257/2013.
The entry into force of the Convention introduces new burdens and obligations for the various parties it addresses, namely shipowners, shipbuilding and ship recycling yards, and several national authorities such as those of the so called flag States, port States and recycling States. The effective implementation of the Convention is intended to be ensured through periodic inspections of ships and specific certifications, such as the Inventory of Hazardous Materials on board, the Ship Recycling Plan, or the “International Ready for Recycling Certificate”.
Although the entry into force of the Convention represents an important development for the shipping and shipbreaking industries, some issues remain open to date, including the need to coordinate the Hong Kong Convention with the 1989 Basel Convention on the transboundary movement of waste, as well as with the relevant EU legislation, namely Regulation (EU) No 1257/2013.
