ENTRY INTO FORCE OF IMO HONG KONG SHIP RECYCLING CONVENTION: 26 JUNE 2025

Bangladesh and Liberia accession to Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships have triggered the entry into force on 26 June 2025Please be informed that Bangladesh and Liberia have handed over the Country’s instruments of acceptance to the Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships to IMO on Monday 26 June 2023.The Bangladesh and Liberia accession brings the combined merchant fleet tonnage of contracting States to the treaty to approximately 45.81% with 22 of contracting States and the combined annual ship recycling volume of the Contracting States during the preceding 10 years amounts to 23,848,453 gross tonnage, equivalent to 3.31% of the required recycling volume. (Source: IMO Public info available on 27/06/2023)As the thresholds for number of state criterion (15 states), for the tonnage criterion (40%) and ship recycling capacity (not less than 3% of the gross tonnage of the combined merchant shipping of those States mentioned above) are met, Hong Kong Convention will enter into force on 26 June 2025.Following entry into force of the Hong Kong Convention, ships will be required to carry onboard an Inventory of Hazardous Materials (i.e. existing ships going for recycling & new ships upon the entry into force – existing ships not later than 5 years after the entry into force of the Convention). Ship recycling facilities authorized by Competent Authorities will be required to provide a Ship Recycling Plan, specific to each individual vessel to be recycled.