The Union of Greek Shipowners welcomes the ratification of the International Maritime Organization’s  Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships , by the governments of Bangladesh, a major ship recycling state and Liberia, one of the largest ship registries.

“As strong advocates of global regulations for our sector, we are especially pleased that the long-awaited entry into force of the HKC is now becoming a reality”, the President of the UGS, Ms. Melina Travlos stated. “This development is a major breakthrough, which the shipping industry has been promoting consistently and tirelessly”, she added.

With the HKC in effect, safe and environmentally responsible ship recycling practices will be guaranteed all over the world. The next step should be the revision of regional relevant regulations, such as the EU Ship Recycling Regulation. This will help remove any unnecessary hurdles in creating a global, unified set of health and safety standards when ships are recycled in HKC compliant yards globally.

“Shipping is indeed part of the solution in addressing environmental challenges. As an indispensable sector in the global supply chain, it abides by international ship recycling standards and practices to effect real environmental change without distorting competition”, Ms. Travlos concluded.