Croatia becomes 16th member of IMO’s Hong Kong Convention

Croatia has become the latest country to accede to the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) treaty for safe and environmentally-sound ship recycling, the Hong Kong Convention.

The convention covers the design, construction, operation and maintenance of ships, and preparation for ship recycling in order to facilitate safe and environmentally sound recycling, without compromising the safety and operational efficiency of ships.

Under the treaty, ships to be sent for recycling are required to carry an inventory of hazardous materials, specific to each ship. Ship recycling yards are required to provide a ship recycling plan, specifying the manner in which each ship will be recycled, depending on its particulars and its inventory.

Sixteen countries that joined the treaty so far include Belgium, Congo, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Ghana, India, Japan, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Panama, Serbia, Turkey.

According to the IMO, the sixteen contracting states to the convention now represent approximately 29.58% of the world’s merchant shipping tonnage.

The convention’s entry into force is expected 24 months after ratification by fifteen states, representing 40 percent of world merchant shipping by gross tonnage, combined maximum annual ship recycling volume not less than 3 percent of their combined tonnage.