Turkey, one of the five major ship recycling nations in the world, has signed the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships.

Ünal Çeviköz, Ambassador Extraordinary and permanent representative of Turkey to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), signed the Convention, on behalf of his country on 26 August 2010.

IMO Secretary-General Efthimios E. Mitropoulos and Mr. Çeviköz expressed the wish that other major ship recycling nations join the Convention as soon as possible.

The Hong Kong Convention, adopted at a diplomatic conference in May 2009, is aimed at ensuring that ships, when being recycled after reaching the end of their operational lives, do not pose any unnecessary risk to human health and safety or to the environment.

The Convention has been open for signature by any state from 1 September 2009 and will remain so until 31 August 2010. Thereafter, it shall be open for accession by any State.

It will enter into force 24 months after the date on which 15 States, representing 40 per cent of world merchant shipping by gross tonnage, have either signed it without reservation as to ratification, acceptance or have deposited instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession with the IMO Secretary General.

The combined maximum annual ship recycling volume of those states must, during the preceding 10 years, constitute not less than 3 per cent of their combined merchant shipping tonnage.

The Convention addresses all major issues surrounding ship recycling, including the fact that ships sold for scrapping may contain environmentally hazardous substances such as asbestos, heavy metals, hydrocarbons, ozone-depleting substances and others.

Regulations in the Convention cover the design, construction, operation and preparation of ships so as to facilitate safe and environmentally sound recycling, without compromising the safety and operational efficiency of ships; the operation of ship recycling facilities in a safe and environmentally sound manner; and the establishment of an appropriate enforcement mechanism for ship recycling, incorporating certification and reporting requirements. (EHL)