Pakistan has become a Party to the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, 2009 (Hong Kong Convention), which will enter into force on 26th June 2025.
Pakistan’s Maritime Minister and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Maritime Affairs, Vice Admiral Iftikhar Ahmad Rao, deposited the instrument of accession with IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim at IMO Headquarters in London.
The deposit follows an IMO-run national seminar on 13-15 November in Karachi, Pakistan in order to support the country’s implementation of the Convention and related Guidelines.
The Hong Kong Convention was adopted at a diplomatic conference held in Hong Kong, China, in 2009.
It 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, ship building 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 new Hong Kong Convention status is having now the following contracting parties and countries: 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.
BIMCO, the world’s largest shipping association, welcomed Pakistan’s ratification. “With the announcement that Pakistan is acceding to the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships (HKC), all major ship recycling States have now become a Party to IMO’s HKC,” BIMCO said. “Precisely because of the global impact this ratification has, BIMCO anticipates that all Flag states will soon follow Pakistan’s commendable lead.”
