Turkey is the only one of the five major ship-scrapping countries to have signed the Hong Kong Convention designed to improve the environmental aspects of ship recycling. The convention aims to introduce standards for the handling of hazardous substance such as asbestos. It requires that shipbuilders compile a list of hazardous material onboard vessels, to be maintained by shipowners and owners will be required to scrap vessels only at recycling facilities equipped to safely handle and dispose of the materials on board.
Implementation of the convention remains a long way off, as it requires signing by 15 states representing 40% of world merchant shipping. So far, it has been signed by five nations, but not by any of the other major ship scrapping countries –India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and China.
Turkey has around 20 companies involved in ship scrapping and last year handled approximately 200 vessels of around 500,000ldt. It is already close to the standards outlined in the new convention.
Source: KALIMBASSIERISMARITIME, Cypriot News
http://www.kalimbassieris.com/img/x2/news/news89_1_1292918500.pdf
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