TIM eMagazine Vol.3 Issue 9
Philippines Hosts IMO Workshop
On Safe, Environmentally Sound
Ship Recycling
MARINA Officer-in-Charge Vice Admiral Narciso Vingson Jr. with the participants in the International
Maritime Organization (IMO) Regional and National Workshop on the Ratification and Implementation
of the International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, 2009
otherwise known as the Hong Kong Convention
T
he Philippines, through the Maritime Industry Authority
(MARINA), hosted the International Maritime Organization
(IMO) Regional and National Workshop on the Ratification and
Implementation of the International Convention for the Safe
and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, 2009 otherwise
known as the Hong Kong Convention.
Attended by participants from Bangladesh, China, Hong
Kong, India, Viet Nam, Pakistan and the Philippines, the regional
workshop capacitated the IMO Member States for their eventual ratification,
implementation, and enforcement of the Convention. The workshop was
delivered in Manila under the IMO Technical Cooperation Program, facilitated by
various international maritime experts.
MARINA Officer-in-Charge Vice Admiral Narciso Vingson Jr emphasized that
the Philippines recognizes the importance of this platform in reinforcing the
spirit of responsibility and solidarity among IMO member states that bear equal
obligations in maintaining the highest standards in maritime safety, prevention of
marine pollution, and shipping navigation and trade.
Atty. Josephine Marie Uranza, IMO Regional Presence for Technical Cooperation
in East Asia, said the Hong Kong Convention is the only workable instrument of
ship recycling currently available for international shipping.
“We are now looking forward for more countries to start the ratification
process and see that the entry into force conditions will be met. The widespread
Credits: marina.gov.ph
Other participants in the International Maritime Organization
(IMO) Regional and National Workshop on the Ratification and
Implementation of the International Convention for the Safe
and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, 2009 otherwise
known as the Hong Kong Convention
Atty. Josephine Marie Uranza,
IMO Regional Presence for
Technical Cooperation in East
Asia (left); Atty, Jean Ver Pia
(center) and Vice Admiral
Narciso Vingson Jr. in the
Hong Kong Convention
Credits: marina.gov.ph
Credits: marina.gov.ph
knowledge and the involvement of the major ship recycling countries will be key
for the successful discussions,” Atty. Uranza said.
The regional workshop served as an avenue to raise awareness on various
issues related to the Hong Kong Convention, to become more familiar with the
international regulatory requirements related to the Convention, to provide the
best practice for the safe and environmentally sound recycling of ships, and to
seek the way forward for participating countries to ratify the Convention.
The national workshop, on the other hand, is a collaboration effort of the
stakeholders such as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources
(DENR), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), University of the Philippines Marine Science
Institute (UP MSI), Shipyards Association of the Philippines (ShAP), Society of
Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SONAME), as well as steel recyclers and
companies responsible in the disposal and handling of waste.
Discussions on the role of each stakeholder in the implementation of the
Hong Kong Convention in the domestic shipping, as well as the advantages and
contributions of the ship breaking business in the Philippines were specifically
covered in the national workshop.
The IMO is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for the
global regulation of international shipping. The IMO adapted the Hong Kong
Convention to ensure that ships, when being recycled after reaching the end of
their operational lives, do not pose any unnecessary risks to human health and
safety, as well as to the environment.
The Hong Kong Convention intends to address pressing issues around
ship recycling, including the fact that ships sold for scrapping may contain
environmentally hazardous substances such as asbestos, heavy metals,
hydrocarbons, ozone-depleting substances, and others.
marina.gov.ph
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