The International Maritime
Organization (IMO) adopted the Hong Kong International Convention for the
Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, 2009 (the “Hong Kong
Convention”) in the form of a resolution at the International Conference on the
Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships which was convened in Hong
Kong, the P. R. China in 2009. The Hong Kong Convention applies to international
ships of 500 GT or above flying the flag of a contracting state and the ship
recycling facilities owned by a contracting state.
The most important principle of
the Hong Kong Convention is control of the hazardous materials within the whole
life cycle of the ship. Part I of the Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM) applies
to all new ships, which should be developed and kept onboard; similar
requirements shall be applied to all existing ships within the specified
timetable; for all ships, Part I of the IHM shall be properly maintained and
updated throughout the operational life of the ship.
Only the ship recycling yards
meeting the specified requirements can engage in ship recycling work. In order
to implement the Hong Kong Convention efficiently, a total of six Guidelines have
been adopted by IMO. For more details, please refer to CCS Circulars: (2010)
Circ. No.11 Total No.11, (2012) Circ. No.65 Total No.227, (2012) Circ. No.100
Total No.262, (2013) Circ. No.21 Total No.307.
Moreover, the Regulation EU No
1257/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council on ship recycling
(“Regulation EU No 1257/2013”) issued by the European Commission came into
force on December 30, 2013 and had been implemented since December 31, 2018,
which is more stringent than the Hong Kong Convention in the control of
hazardous materials of ships. The Regulation applies to all ships entitled to
fly EU flags and also those flying non-EU flags calling at EU ports and
anchorages.
The Regulation requires that from
December 31, 2018, all new ships flying the flag of an EU member must have on
board a certificate of hazardous materials and an inventory of hazardous
materials that meet the requirements of the Regulation; from December 31, 2020,
the existing ships, and the ships flying non-EU flags calling at ports or
anchorages of EU member states, shall have on board a certificate/statement of
compliance and an inventory of hazardous materials that meet the relevant
requirements of the Regulation.
Although the Hong Kong Convention
has not entered into force yet, the voice from international community for
environmentally sound recycling of ships becomes stronger and stronger;
companies and the shipping industry are facing more serious social
responsibilities. So many shipyards, shipowners, and manufacturers would like
to implement the Hong Kong Convention in advance. CCS fully participated in the
development of the Hong Kong Convention and related Guidelines, and large
amounts of research has been conducted by CCS, consequently many circulars and
guidance documents had been released.
CCS can provide many services
such as: the development/review of the “Material Declaration” (MD) and the
“Inventory of Hazardous Materials” (IHM); issuance of the “Statement of
Compliance on the IHM” (“IHM SOC”)/Certificate of Inventory of Hazardous
Materials that meet the requirements of the Convention and the EU Regulation;
issuance of the Proof of Fitness for Ship Recycling/ Certificate of Fitness for
Ship Recycling that meet the requirements of the Convention and the EU
Regulation; assignment of class notation of Green Passport for Recycling (GPR,
GPR+, GPR (EU), GPR (EU+)), green product certification and classification
under the Hong Kong Convention/EU Regulation; approval of the testing
(inspection) agency of hazardous materials and the expert agency; issuance of
“Statement of Compliance on the Document of Authorization to conduct Ship
Recycling” (“DASR SOC”) under the Hong Kong Convention; development/review of
the “Ship Recycling Plan” (“SRP”).
In addition, CCS has launched
free management software entitled “Hazardous Materials Management System”
(Green Chain, link: http://greenchain.ccs.org.cn/login.jsp), to make it
convenient for all interested parties to implement the Convention.
In order to ensure that ships and
their structures, products, equipment, systems, accessories, arrangements and
materials meet the requirements of the Hong Kong Convention and related
Guidelines, guide the shipbuilding, shipping and manufacturing industries to
conduct an all-round upgrade to become green and environmentally-sound, and
encourage new ship designs and ships in service to implement the Convention in
advance before the Convention enters into force, the China Classification
Society (CCS) has added a number of green passport for recycling (GPR) class
notations to the “Rules for the Classification of Sea-going Steel Ships” to
provide value-added services for ships.
For details, please refer to
(2012) Circular No. 113 Total No. 275 issued by CCS. CCS Guidelines for the
Compilation and Verification of IHM of Ships and the first Amendment 2020
were released in 2016 and 2020 respectively. The Guidelines include specific implementation
requirements and the compilation and verification requirements of IHM of new
ships and ships in service.
A GPR can show that your company
is socially responsible and promote the company to your clients accordingly.
CCS can help by providing the high quality services necessary to develop and
main your company’s reputation as well as protecting the environment.
