IMO: Global new ship recycling regulations by next year

India | The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) expects to adopt new globally applicable ship recycling regulations for international shipping and recycling facilities by next year.
Speaking at ’The India Maritime Summit 2008’ in Mumbai, IMO Secretary General Efthimios Mitropoulos said the new law, ’The International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships’ will include regulations for the design, construction, operation and preparation of ships to facilitate safe and environmentally sound recycling, without compromising safety or operational efficiency.
The regulations will also establish an appropriate enforcement mechanism for ship recycling, including certification and reporting requirements, Mitropoulos said. He added recycling of ships is largely an unregulated industry in many parts of the world, and the countries that insist on higher standards could lose out commercially.
’India’s own ship repair facilities have seemingly fallen victim to such a trend, as attempts to introduce higher health, safety and environmental standards resulted in a downturn at some of the leading facilities and migration of business elsewhere,’ the IMO secretary general said.
He said India’s apex court also recently decreed rules similar to the IMO convention, which suggests that there will be no serious impediment for India to ratify the new treaty. ’The treaty, once ratified, will open up a huge global market of ship recycling in India,’ Mitropoulos added.