| Author (Corporate) | European Commission |
|---|---|
| Series Title | COM |
| Series Details | (2012) 120 final (23.3.12) |
| Publication Date | 23/03/2012 |
| Content Type | Policy-making |
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The development and continuation of unsound and unsafe practices of ship dismantling is a matter of serious concern. At the end of their operating life, most of the large commercial sea-going vessels are still dismantled in substandard facilities located in Asia (India, Pakistan and Bangladesh), usually through "beaching" method and with significant environmental and health impacts. The situation is expected to worsen since large numbers of ships are expected to be sent for dismantling in the coming years as a result of an overcapacity of the world fleet which is estimated to remain for at least 5 to 10 years. In addition, the coming peak in ship recycling around the phasing-out date for single-hull tankers (2015) is expected to essentially benefit the most sub-standard facilities. The current legislation at international and European levels has proven ineffective to put an end to these ship recycling practices. In order to improve the situation, Parties to the Basel Convention invited, in 2004, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to develop mandatory requirements for ship recycling. The Hong Kong Convention for the Safe and Sound Recycling of Ships was adopted in May 2009 by the International Maritime Organization. It needs to be ratified by a sufficient number of both large flag and recycling states in order to enter into force and start producing effects. At European level, the Commission adopted a Green Paper on better ship dismantling in 2007 and a Communication proposing an EU strategy on ship dismantling in 2008. This strategy proposed measures to improve ship dismantling conditions as soon as possible, including in the interim period before the entry into force of the Hong Kong Convention: i.e. preparing the establishment of measures on key elements of the Convention, encouraging voluntary industry action, providing technical assistance and support to developing countries and better enforcing the current legislation. In its conclusions on the EU strategy on ship recycling, the Council endorsed the Hong Kong Convention, underlining that it represented a major achievement for the international community, provided a comprehensive system of control and enforcement from "cradle to grave" and strongly encouraged Member States to ratify the Convention as a matter of priority so as to facilitate its entry into force as early as possible and to generate a real and effective change on the ground. |
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| Source Link | http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2012:0120:FIN:EN:PDF |
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| Subject Categories | Business and Industry, Environment |
| Countries / Regions | Europe |
