The 58th session of the IMO's Marine Environment Protection Committee conduct an article-by-article and regulation-by-regulation review of the draft Convention on the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships in order for it to be ready for final consideration and adoption by a Diplomatic Conference that will be held in Hong Kong, China in May 2009. The Convention is expected to deliver:
· regulations for the design, construction, operation and preparation of ships to facilitate safe and environmentally sound recycling, without compromising the safety and operational efficiency of ships;
· operation of ship recycling facilities in a safe and environmentally sound manner;
· an appropriate enforcement mechanism, incorporating certification and reporting requirements.
While the Committee was able largely to agree the text of the future Convention, there are a number of issues that the Diplomatic conference will have to decide upon, including entry into force criteria, threshold values for substances to be included in the Inventory of Hazardous Materials and arrangements for the ship's final survey.
Further information, including the draft text of the Convention, can be found in the Members' Area.
Since it is likely to be a number of years before the Convention enters into force, it is recommended that owners continue to adhere to the IMO Guidelines on ship recycling adopted in December 2003 as Assembly Resolution A.962(23). These guidelines were developed to give advice to all stakeholders in the recycling process, including ship owners, ship builders, repairers and recycling yards, flag, port and recycling states and administrations of ship building and maritime equipment supplying countries. They include procedures for both new and existing ships throughout their lifetime with regard to ship recycling issues, and preparation of ships for recycling.