IMO's Draft Ship Recycling Convention Callous towards Environmental Health

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12755264.post-33451333968833811242008-10-10T12:31:00.000-07:002008-10-10T12:51:53.414-07:00IMO's Draft Ship Recycling Convention Callous towards Environmental HealthA shameful stain on the conscience of shipping – recycling – remains unaddressed by the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC)of International Maritime Organisation (IMO). At its 58th meeting in London, the MEPC approved the final draft of its convention on recycling on 7 October, to be considered for final approval early next year at the IMO meeting in Hong Kong. Every new ship would enter service with an inventory of hazardous material. The draft convention on ship recycling is a “shameful document which will likely do more harm than good” and “an instrument of greenwash” that does nothing to improve the working conditions at shipbreaking yards. The convention has sought to address the mechanics of recycling business and the responsibilities of party and non-party states. This fails to “address the human rights, health and environmental consequences” of ship breaking. Environmental groups say that IMO member governments had their own doubts about the convention. “Most notably, the doubt of the European Union is palpable in the reading of the European Commission Green Paper and the European Parliament’s response to it.”Rather than use the convention to set new standards in shipbreaking practise, the industry has used the convention as “a vehicle to avoid the principles of environmental justice embodied in the Basel convention”. Addressing the opening session of MEPC this week, IMO secretary-general Efthimiois Mitropoulos noted “a sense of satisfaction” that two-and-a-half years’ work on an ad hoc convention were coming to an end. Following an intersessional meeting of the ad hoc working group, MEPC 58 plans to undertake a final review and approval of the updated draft before submitting it to next year’s diplomatic conference on May 11-15, 2009. References: Basel Action Network, www.ban.org Ship recycling http://www.imo.org/Environment/mainframe.asp?topic_id=818 Assembly Resolution A.962(23) – IMO Guidelines on Ship Recycling http://www.imo.org/Environment/mainframe.asp?topic_id=874 Joint ILO/IMO/BC Working Group on Ship Recycling http://www.imo.org/Environment/mainframe.asp?topic_id=1044 IMO to develop new instrument on recycling of ships http://www.imo.org/Newsroom/mainframe.asp?topic_id=1109 Developments and issues on recycling of ships. Article by Dr. Nikos Mikelis, presented at the East Asian Seas Congress, Haikou City, Hainan Province, PR China, 12-16 December 2006. http://www.imo.org/includes/blastData.asp/doc_id=7420/Developments.pdf The IMO’s work on ship recycling – London 4-5 May 2005. Article by Sokratis Dimakopoulos http://www.imo.org/includes/blastData.asp/doc_id=4892/Ship%20Recycling.doc IMO DOCUMENTS RESOLUTIONS A.962(23) IMO Guidelines on Ship Recycling. Adopted 5 December 2003 http://www.imo.org/Environment/mainframe.asp?topic_id=874 MEPC.113(50) Ship recycling for the smooth implementation of the amendments to Annex I of Marpol 73/78. Adopted 4 December 2003 A.980(24) Amendments to the IMO Guidelines on Ship recycling (Resolution A.962(230). Adopted on 1 December 2005 A.981(24) New legally binding instruments on ship recycling. Adopted on 1 December 2005. CIRCULARS Circular Letters Circular Letter No. 2579 First Session of the Joint ILO/IMO/BC Working Group on Ship Scrapping 08/09/2004 Circular Letter No. 2615 Intersessional meeting of the Working Group on Ship Recycling, 13 to 15 July 13/01/2005 2005 Circular letter No. 2769 Intersessional meeting of the Working Group on Ship Recycling 19/01/2007MEPC MEPC/Circ.419 Guidelines for the development of the ship recycling plan 12/11/2004 http://www.imo.org/includes/blastData.asp/doc_id=4489/419.pdf MEPC/Circ.466 Implementation of the IMO guidelines on ship recycling (Assembly Resolution 25/07/2005 A.962(230)) MEPC/Circ.467 Promotion of the implementation of the IMO guidelines on ship recycling 26/07/2005 (Assembly resolution A.962(230)) ASSEMBLY A 23/19/1 Consideration of the reports and recommendations of the Marine Environment Protection Committee. Draft guidelines on ship recycling approved by MEPC 49 Submitted by Greenpeace International A 23/19/2 Idem. Draft guidelines on ship recycling approved by MEPC 49. Submitted by ICS, on behalf of the industry working group on ship recycling (BIMCO, Intercargo, Intertanko, ICS, ITOPF, ICFTU, OCIMF, IPTA) SUB-COMMITTEE ON FLAG STATE IMPLEMENTATION 11th Session (7 -11 April 2003) Summary Reports : http://www.imo.org/Newsroom/mainframe.asp?topic_id=106&doc_id=2677 FSI 11/15 Ship recycling-related matters. Draft IMO Guidelines on recycling of ships. JOINT ILO/IMO/BC WORKING GROUP ON SHIP SCRAPPING Terms of reference, Parties, Documents etc. http://www.basel.int/ships/iloimobcwg.html 1st Session (15 – 17 February 2005) Joint ILO-IMO-Basel Convention Working Group on Ship Scrapping First meeting: London, 15-17 February 2005. Press release: http://www.ilo.org/pubcgi/links_ext.pl?http://www.imo.org/home.asp and Report: http://www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/safework/sectors/shipbrk/bcvg_05_rep.pdf ILO/IMO/BC WG 1/8 Report of the Working Group LONDON CONVENTION 25th Session (6 – 10 October 2003) LC 25/16 Report of the 25th Session of the consultative meeting 27th Session (24 – 28 October 2005) LC 27/16 Report of the 27th Session of the consultative meeting MARINE ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION COMMITTEE 44th Session (6 – 8 March 2000) Summary reports: http://www.imo.org/Newsroom/mainframe.asp?topic_id=109&doc_id=358 MEPC 44/20 Report of the Marine Environment Protection Committee on its 44th Session (Section 16 –Recycling of Ships) 46th Session (23 – 27 April 2001) Summary reports: http://www.imo.org/Newsroom/mainframe.asp?topic_id=109&doc_id=774 MEPC 46/23 Report of the Marine Environment Protection Committee on its 46th Session (Section 7 –recycling of ships) 47th Session (4 – 8 March 2002) Summary reports: http://www.imo.org/Newsroom/mainframe.asp?topic_id=109&doc_id=1753 MEPC 47/20 Report of the Marine Environment Protection Committee on its 47th Session (Section 3 –recycling of ships) 48th Session (7 – 11 October 2002) Summary reports: http://www.imo.org/Newsroom/mainframe.asp?topic_id=109&doc_id=2543 MEPC 48/21 Report of the Marine Environment Protection Committee on its 48th Session (Section 3 –Recycling of ships) 49th Session (14 – 18 July 2003) Summary reports: http://www.imo.org/Newsroom/mainframe.asp?topic_id=109&doc_id=2798 MEPC 49/22 Report of the Marine Environment Protection Committee on its forty ninth session. (Section 3 – Recycling of ships, Annex 3 – Draft assembly resolution – IMO guidelines on ship recycling, Annex 4 – List of future work items on ship recycling 50th Session (1 – 4 December 2003) Summary reports: http://www.imo.org/Newsroom/mainframe.asp?topic_id=109&doc_id=3155 MEPC 50/3 Report of the Marine Environment Protection Committee on its fiftieth session 51st Session (29 March – 2 April 2004) Summary reports: http://www.imo.org/Newsroom/mainframe.asp?topic_id=109&doc_id=3156 MEPC 51/22 Report of the Marine Environment Protection Committee on its fifty first session.(Annex 3: Terms of reference for the Joint ILO/IN40/BASEL Convention Working Group; Annex 4: Terms of reference for the Correspondence Group on Ship Recycling) 52nd Session (11 – 15 October 2004) Summary reports: http://www.imo.org/Newsroom/mainframe.asp?topic_id=109&doc_id=3663 MEPC 52/24 Report of the Marine Environment Protection Committee on its 52 d Session (Section 3 Recycling of ships) 53rd Session (18 – 22 July 2005) Summary reports: http://www.imo.org/Newsroom/mainframe.asp?topic_id=109&doc_id=4469 MEPC 53/24 Report of the Marine Environment Protection Committee on its 53rd session (Section 3 –Recycling of ships, Annex 7 – Draft assembly resolution – New legally binding instrument on ship recycling; Annex 8 – Draft assembly resolution – Amendments to the IMO guidelines on ship recycling (Resolution A.962(23))) 54th Session (20 – 24 March 2006) Summary reports: http://www.imo.org/Newsroom/mainframe.asp?topic_id=109&doc_id=6204 MEPC 54/21 Report of the Marine Environment Protection Committee on its 54th session (Section 3 – Recycling of ships) 55th Session (9 – 13 October 2006) Summary report: http://www.imo.org/Newsroom/mainframe.asp?topic_id=109&doc_id=6219 MEPC 55/23 Report of the Marine Environment Protection Committee on its 55th Session. (Section 3 –Recycling of ships; Annex 7 – Statement by Greenpeace International in the ship recycling issue) 56th Session (9 – 13 July 2007) Summary Reports: http://www.imo.org/Newsroom/mainframe.asp?topic_id=109&doc_id=7537 MEPC 56/23 Report of the Marine Environment Protection Committee on its 56th Session. (Section 3 –Recycling of ships) 57th Session (31 March 4 April 2008) Summary Reports: INTERSESSIONAL MEETING OF THE WORKING GROUP ON SHIP RECYCLING 2nd Session (7 May 2007) MEPC-ISRWG 2/2 Further development of the draft convention and of the draft guidelines. Report of the correspondence group. Submitted by Norway as co-ordinator of the correspondence group MEPC-ISRWG 2/2/1 Idem. Suggestions for the development of the Convention. Submitted by Denmark MEPC-ISRWG 2/3 Idem. Draft guidelines for ship recycling facilities for the safe and environmentally sound recycling of ships. Submitted by Denmark MEPC-ISRWG 2/INF.1 Idem. Comments on the draft Convention by Members of the Correspondence Group. Submitted by Norway as co-ordinator of the correspondence groupGopal Krishnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17801809794795753601krishnagreen@gmail.com2