The Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships (Hong Kong Convention) entered into force, establishing mandatory regulations to govern the way ships are recycled.

From June 26, 2025, ships at the end of their operational lives must be recycled in a safe and environmentally sustainable way.

The Hong Kong Convention, developed under the International Maritime Organization (IMO), covers design, construction, operation and preparation of ships to support safe and environmentally sound recycling; operation of ship recycling facilities; and appropriate enforcement mechanisms, including survey, authorization, certification, inspection and reporting requirements.

"The entry into force of the Hong Kong Convention this year marks a watershed moment in our shared objective to promote sustainable and safe ship recycling practices globally," said Arsenio Dominguez, secretary-general IMO.

"This achievement reflects years of dedicated work and will renew our drive to safeguard human health and the environment in this critical industry," he added.

Addressing hazardous materials, working conditions

The IMO said in a statement that most ships are recycled when they are taken out of operation, with almost all materials and equipment from the ship being re-used or recycled.

The Hong Kong Convention addresses key environmental, occupational health, and safety risks involved in the recycling of ships, while distributing responsibilities and obligations across relevant stakeholders - shipowners, ship building yards, ship recycling facilities, flag States, port States and recycling States.

Among other measures, the convention prohibits or restricts the installation or use of hazardous materials on ships, such as asbestos, polychlorinated biphenyls, ozone-depleting substances, and anti-fouling compounds and systems containing organotin compounds or cybutryne.

It also requires detailed inventories of hazardous materials and outlines requirements for ship recycling facility operations, including working conditions at ship recycling yards.

The Convention also sets out robust mechanisms for certification, compliance and enforcement.

Supporting member states with implementation

To support developing countries, IMO has organized various workshops on ship recycling to raise awareness of the Convention internationally.

In addition, IMO has been actively working with countries to help build their capacity and establish the conditions that will enable them to ratify and effectively implement the Convention.

This includes the ongoing project on Safe and Environmentally Sound Ship Recycling (SENSREC Project), established with financial support from the Government of Norway.

The project provides comprehensive support to countries, ranging from policy alignment, creation of institutional mechanisms and governance systems, to capacity development related to sustainable technical, social and environmental practices.

SENSREC is currently active in Bangladesh and Pakistan.

The Hong Kong Convention was adopted at a diplomatic conference held in Hong Kong, China, in May 2009. The requirements for its entry-into-force were reached in 2023, with the Convention taking effect 24 months later, on June 26, 2025.

Several ship recycling nations have already been implementing the Convention's technical standards on a voluntary basis.

Currently, there are 24 Parties to the Convention, including major flag states such as Japan, Liberia, the Marshall Islands and Panama, as well as four major ship recycling countries: Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Türkiye. Altogether they cover 57.15% of the world's shipping by tonnage.