Upping scrap stakes -Shanghai International Maritime Information and Literature website

Upping scrap stakes
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PostTime:2010-02-05 07:51:21.0 View:41
A meeting has been set up for May to help progress the implementation of the new Hong Kong Convention. The five main ship-recycling nations are expected to meet in Thailand around the end of May in a bid to advance efforts at raising industry standards. India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, China and Turkey handle around 97% of all tonnage scrapped but until now there has been a wide gap between their environmental - as well as health-and-safety - standards. This is being tackled by the new Hong Kong Convention on recycling adopted last year but it may take several years to enter into force. In a bid to smooth the path toward ratification and raise standards in advance, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has accepted an invitation from Thailand to bring key figures together. One of the main aims will be to reach an agreement over a voluntary implementation of some of the technical requirements contained in the convention. IMO senior implementation officer Nikos Mikelis says it is hoped that countries will recognise the benefit of agreeing on common measures they can all put into practice in the transitional period so that no individual state's competitiveness is damaged. Concern has been expressed that if the convention takes maybe five or six years to ratify, then thousands of ships will continue to be recycled without the safeguards targeted by the IMO, including measures covering the declaration, handling and disposal of hazardous substances such as asbestos. Mikelis adds that at the gathering in Thailand it is hoped to arrive at common agreed initiatives and advance "toward the convention on a voluntary basis". "People don't have to sign their life away but it will be an opportunity to discuss and decide what kind of progress they want to make," said Mikelis. Responsibility for implementing the convention will fall on the administrations of the recycling states, as well as the flag states of shipowners. Mikelis adds that it is hoped a number of senior government officials will attend, so when they return to their countries they can move ahead "in the spirit of what has been discussed". Also to be invited are representatives of the recyclers, as well as shipowners through organisations including Intertanko, Bimco and the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS). Japan, Norway, France and the US are among other countries likely to take part in the talks given the key role they have played in shaping the convention and work currently being carried out to draw up implementation guidelines. The International Labour Organisation (ILO), European Commission (EC) and Basel Convention may also be there, as well as non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that are willing to provide what Mikelis describes as a "positive contribution". NGOs have for years been scathing about safety and environmental standards in the Indian sub-continent and continue to bitterly oppose the beaching of ships, which will still be permitted under the convention. Thailand is probably seen as neutral ground for the competing recycling countries to meet, as well as being geographically central. Mikelis warns that if countries wait until the convention enters into force, some face a "step change". It is better, he says, to gradually introduce improvements in an orderly and voluntary manner so that they can control and absorb the cost over a period. Among aspects of the convention it is hoped could be introduced early is the planned inventory of hazardous materials (IHMs) so that countries know what they are receiving. India has already moved in this direction with ships required to complete hazardous-materials (Hazmat) forms before they are permitted to use the official anchorage for Alang. It is being suggested that possibly India and others should instead apply the IMO inventory that identifies substances most likely found on ships and where they are located. "We will sit down and find out what countries are doing and whether they want to apply common standards," said Mikelis. "It will be the opportunity to develop a common understanding on simple issues."
Source:Tradewinds Author:Geoff Garfield London