Pakistan Joins Hong Kong Convention For Global Maritime Sustainability Efforts

Pakistan has officially ratified the Hong Kong Convention, an international agreement for environmentally sound recycling of ships.

Iftikhar Ahmad Rao, Vice Admiral (Retd.), Minister and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Maritime Affairs, deposited the accession instrument on November 30 at the International Maritime Organization Headquarters in London.

The accession follows an important national seminar organised by the International Maritime Organization in Karachi, Pakistan, from November 13 to 15 to assist the nation in implementing the Convention and its guiding principles.

Adopted in 2009, the Hong Kong Convention aims to guarantee that ships do not unnecessarily endanger human health, safety, or the environment when recycled after their operational lives are over. A “cradle to grave” methodology addresses every safety and environmental concern associated with ship recycling, including the appropriate handling and elimination of related waste streams.

With this latest development, the Hong Kong Convention has 23 contracting parties, including important ship recycling countries like Liberia, Bangladesh, and India. On June 26, 2025, the Convention is scheduled to go into effect.

An essential step toward achieving global maritime sustainability has been taken with Pakistan’s ratification of the Hong Kong Convention, which has made all significant ship recycling states parties to it. Several parties are assigned responsibilities by the convention, including flag states, port states, shipbuilding yards, ship recycling facilities, and shipowners.

The world’s largest shipping association, BIMCO, responded to this development by expecting all flag states to follow Pakistan’s example. BIMCO highlighted the necessity of harmonising the Hong Kong Convention with regional ship recycling laws, such as the Ship Recycling Regulations of the European Union. The association emphasised the advancements in ship recycling techniques over time and demanded equitable treatment for yards that satisfy HKC standards.

The Hong Kong Convention, which requires a minimum of 15 states representing at least 40% of the world’s merchant shipping gross tonnage, has come into force due to Pakistan’s ratification and previous commitments from Bangladesh and Liberia. The combined ship recycling capacity of these states must account for at least 3% of the gross tonnage of the ratifying countries.

This comes when the number of vessels expected to be scrapped is expected to soar over the next ten years—BIMCO projects that the number of scrapped vessels will double from the previous ten years. By enforcing regulations like the Inventory of Hazardous Materials on Ships and the provision of Ship Recycling Plans by approved recycling facilities, the HKC seeks to improve the sustainability of ship recycling.

Reference: IMO

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