SENSREC Ship Recycling & Norway

The International Maritime Organisation shared as far back as on 31st of July, 2020 that the third phase of an IMO-implemented SENSREC project to enhance safe and environmentally sound ship recycling in Bangladesh has been given the go-ahead. The ​SENSREC Phase III will focus on improving ship recycling standards in compliance with the Hong Kong Convention and enhancing capacity building for the Government of Bangladesh on legislation and knowledge management. Specific technical assistance will be provided to the Government of Bangladesh to establish a facility for treatment, storage and disposal of hazardous wastes. There will also be a focus on evaluating the impact of Covid-19 on the ship recycling industry in Bangladesh. The third phase of an IMO implemented project to enhance safe and environmentally sound ship recycling in Bangladesh was initially supported by Norway committing approximately US $ 1.5 million (14 million Norwegian Kroner) to support improved ship recycling in Bangladesh.

The agreement between IMO and the Government of Norway to support Phase III of the project on Safe and Environmentally Sound Ship Recycling in Bangladesh (SENSREC) was signed on 24 July 2020. This paved the way for Bangladesh to move forward on its path towards becoming a party to the IMO Hong Kong Convention, the treaty that will set global standards for safe and environmentally sound ship recycling.  The Agreement follows the successful implementation of Phase I (2015-17) and Phase II (2018 – 2020) of the SENSREC Project both mainly funded by Norway. With the additional funding Phase III of the project will be implemented over 18 months starting from November 2020.

The SENSREC Project achieved significant progress on account of the commitment of the government authorities as well as the ship-recycling industry of Bangladesh. Norway through IMO supported the authorities, industry and other stakeholders in strengthening their efforts to develop Bangladesh’s ship-recycling industry and the country’s economy. Norway displayed interest in more yards complying with the requirements of the Hong Kong Convention so that Bangladesh could ready to accede to the Convention at the earliest. The Agreement between IMO and the Government of Norway was signed by the Ambassador of Norway to Bangladesh. Bleken and IMO Secretary-General Mr. Kitack Lim. The IMO Secretary-General opined that the continuation of this project will greatly enhance national capacities for Bangladesh ensuring safe and environmentally sound recycling of ships. The success of Phase III of the project will be seen in the crucial technical assistance role that will support the goals of Bangladesh to establish a facility for treatment, storage and disposal of hazardous wastes and ultimately support its aim to accede to the Hong Kong Convention.

The Hong Kong Convention1 covers the design, construction, operation and maintenance of ships to ensure they can be recycled safely and in an environment-friendly way at the end of their lives. It also deals with how ships should be prepared for their final voyage to a recycling facility without compromising their safety or operational efficiency. Under the Hong Kong Convention ships sent for recycling are required to carry an inventory of all hazardous materials on board. Ship recycling facilities are required to provide a “Ship Recycling Plan” specifying how each ship will be recycled, based on its particular characteristics and its inventory of hazardous materials.

The treaty will enter into force 24 months after three separate criteria have been met. It must be ratified by 15 States representing 40% of world merchant shipping by gross tonnage and a combined maximum annual ship recycling volume (during the preceding 10 years) of not less than 3% of their combined gross tonnage. The number of States required has now been reached but further tonnage and recycling volumes are needed before the convention can enter into force.

The top five ship recycling countries in the world, between them accounting for more than 98% of all ship recycling by gross tonnage, are Bangladesh, China, India, Pakistan and Turkey (of these India and Turkey are already Parties to the Hong Kong Convention  ) . The Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, 2009 includes  Contracting States (as on  28/07/2020)  namely Belgium, Congo, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Ghana, India, Japan, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Panama, Serbia and Turkey. These maritime countries represent nearly 30% of world merchant shipping tonnage.