Malta has become the 12th country to accede to the IMO’s Hong Kong Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships (HKC) as the convention today marked the 10th anniversary of its adoption.
The convention requires ratification by 15 states and 40% of the world’s tonnage.
Malta’s inclusion lifts the total so far to around 28.8% in tonnage terms.
Accession to the convention has accelerated this year after a two-year period without any new ratifications.
Turkey, the Netherlands, the Republic of Serbia and Japan have all signed up in recent months.
Victor Camilleri, permanent representative of Malta to the IMO, delivered that country’s instrument of accession yesterday to IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim.
It was announced recently that Germany and Estonia had also both secured accession to the convention through their parliaments. India is also said to be making progress towards ratifying.
As well as the 15 states and 40% of world merchant shipping in gross tonnage requirement, entry into force of the HKC also needs major shiprecycling nations to sign up.
Shiprecycling consultant and HKC architect Nikos Mikelis told TradeWinds: “It has been a long wait but it has also been worthwhile as in the meantime a sizeable part of the recycling industry has voluntarily—or because of market forces—worked to comply with the convention.”
Mikelis told a recent meeting of the Industry Working Group on Ship Recycling in London that he believed satisfying the first two entry into force conditions of contracting states and global tonnage will not be an obstacle once Germany and Malta also accede.
