On January 18, 2023, the Deputy Commissioner of Maritime Affairs
of the Republic of the Marshall Islands deposited the Marshall
Islands' instrument of accession to the Hong Kong International
Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of
Ships ("Hong Kong Convention") with the Secretary-General
of the International Maritime Organization ("IMO"). The
ceremony took place at the IMO headquarters in London.
The Hong Kong Convention, adopted at a 2009 diplomatic conference
in Hong Kong, will enter into force on June 26, 2025. It was
developed with the contribution of IMO Member States and
non-governmental organizations, and in cooperation with the
International Labour Organization and the parties to the Basel
Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous
Wastes and their Disposal.
The Hong Kong Convention aims to reduce the unnecessary risks to
the environment and to human health and safety associated with the
recycling of ships at the end of their operational lives. In this
regard, the environmental and safety aspects of ship recycling are
comprehensively addressed, including the responsible management and
disposal of associated waste streams in a safe and environmentally
sound manner.
In addition, the Hong Kong Convention establishes responsibilities
and obligations for all parties, such as ship recycling facilities
and ship building yards. In addition to the Marshall Islands, the
parties to the Hong Kong Convention are 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.
When the Hong Kong Convention enters into force, the following
measures will be adopted:
(i) Ships sent for recycling must keep an inventory of hazardous
materials aboard;
(ii) Ship recycling facilities authorized by the competent
authorities will provide a ship recycling plan, specific to each
vessel that will be recycled;
(iii) Governments will ensure that recycling facilities under their
jurisdiction comply with the convention.
The Hong Kong Convention will also address issues related to
working conditions in many of the world's ship recycling
facilities.
Visit us at Tauil & Chequer
Founded in 2001, Tauil & Chequer Advogados is a full service law firm with approximately 90 lawyers and offices in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Vitória. T&C represents local and international businesses on their domestic and cross-border activities and offers clients the full range of legal services including: corporate and M&A; debt and equity capital markets; banking and finance; employment and benefits; environmental; intellectual property; litigation and dispute resolution; restructuring, bankruptcy and insolvency; tax; and real estate. The firm has a particularly strong and longstanding presence in the energy, oil and gas and infrastructure industries as well as with pension and investment funds. In December 2009, T&C entered into an agreement to operate in association with Mayer Brown LLP and become "Tauil & Chequer Advogados in association with Mayer Brown LLP."
© Copyright 2024. Tauil & Chequer Advogados, a Brazilian law partnership with which Mayer Brown is associated. All rights reserved.
This article provides information and comments on legal issues and developments of interest. The foregoing is not a comprehensive treatment of the subject matter covered and is not intended to provide legal advice. Readers should seek specific legal advice before taking any action with respect to the matters discussed herein.
