Pakistan has become a party to the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, 2009 (Hong Kong Convention).
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) said Vice Admiral (Retd.) Iftikhar Ahmad Rao, maritime minister and special assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Maritime Affairs, Pakistan, deposited the instrument of accession with IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim at IMO Headquarters in London (November 30).
The deposit follows an IMO-run national seminar in Karachi, Pakistan (November 13-15) to support the country's implementation of the Convention and related Guidelines.
The Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships will enter into force on June 26, 2025.
The Hong Kong Convention was adopted at a diplomatic conference held in Hong Kong, China, in 2009 — and is aimed at ensuring that ships, when being recycled after reaching the end of their operational lives, do not pose any unnecessary risks to human health, safety and to the environment.
It embraces the "cradle to grave" concept, addressing all environmental and safety aspects relating to ship recycling, including the responsible management and disposal of associated waste streams in a safe and environmentally sound manner.
The Convention places responsibilities and obligations on all parties concerned – including shipowners, shipbuilding yards, ship recycling facilities, flag States, port States, and recycling States.
Upon entry into force of the Hong Kong Convention, ships to be sent for recycling will be required to carry on board an Inventory of Hazardous Materials.
Ship recycling facilities authorized by Competent Authorities will be required to provide a Ship Recycling Plan specific to each individual vessel to be recycled.
Additionally, Governments will be required to ensure that recycling facilities under their jurisdiction comply with the Convention.
The Hong Kong Convention now has the following contracting parties: Bangladesh, Belgium, Republic of the Congo, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Ghana, India, Japan, Liberia, Luxembourg, Malta, Kingdom of the Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe, Serbia, Spain, and Türkiye.
The Hong Kong Convention will come into full force in 2025 after being ratified by two major ship-recycling countries.
The IMO first adopted the international convention on ship recycling in 2009, along with 63 countries. However, it was only in June that it was entirely sanctioned after ratification of the treaty by Bangladesh and Liberia.
