Subject

The Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and

Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, 2009
(the Ship Recycling Convention) Technical
Information
No. TEC-1311
Date 30 October 2023
To whom it may concern

The Ship Recycling Convention, hereinafter referred to as the Convention, will enter into force on 26
June 2025, as announced in ClassNK Technical Information No. TEC-1300. This Technical Information
provides a summary of the Ship Recycling Convention.

1 Effective date: 26 June 2025

2 Application:
(1) This Convention shall apply to:
(i) ships entitled to fly the flag of a Party or operating under its authority, and
(ii) ship recycling facilities operating under the jurisdiction of a Party.
(2) The Convention shall not apply to the following. However, each Party can ensure, by the
adoption of appropriate measures, that such ships act in a manner consistent with this
Convention, so far as it is reasonable and practicable.
(i) ships of less than 500 GT
(ii) ships operating throughout their life only in waters subject to the sovereignty or
jurisdiction of the State whose flag the ship is entitled to fly.

"Ship" means a vessel of any type whatsoever operating or having operated in the marine environment
and includes submersibles, floating craft, floating platforms, self-elevating platforms, Floating Storage
Units (FSUs), and Floating Production Storage and Offloading Units (FPSOs), including a ship stripped
of equipment or being towed.

3 Requirements for ships

(1) Design, construction, operation, and maintenance of ships
(i) Controls of ships' hazardous materials
An installation or use of hazardous materials listed in Appendix 1 to the Convention on
ships shall be prohibited and/or restricted.

Materials prohibited and/or restricted for installation or use on ships

Asbestos, Ozone-depleting substances, Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), Organotin compounds
which act as biocides in anti-fouling systems, Cybutryne in anti-fouling systems

(To be continued)

NOTES:

 ClassNK Technical Information is provided only for the purpose of supplying current information to its readers.
 ClassNK, its officers, employees and agents or sub-contractors do not warrant the accuracy of the information contained
herein and are not liable for any loss, damage or expense sustained whatsoever by any person caused by use of or reliance
on this information.
 Back numbers are available on ClassNK Internet Homepage (URL: www.classnk.or.jp).
 ClassNK Technical Information No. TEC-1311

(ii) Inventory of Hazardous Materials onboard a ship (the Inventory (IHM))

(a) The inventory (IHM) consists of:
Part I: Materials contained in ship structure or equipment
Part II: Operationally generated wastes (Oil and waste remaining on board, etc.)
Part III: Stores (Household electronics, etc.)
(b) Deadline for having Part I of the Inventory (IHM) onboard is as given in the table
below:
Deadline for providing the ship with
Category Definition
IHM
"New ship" means a ship:
1 for which the building contract is
placed on or after the entry into force
of the Convention on 26 June 2025;
or
2 in the absence of a building contract,
the keel of which is laid, or which is
New ship By the date of delivery of the ship
at a similar stage of construction on
or after six months after the entry into
force of the Convention (26
December 2025); or
3 the delivery of which is on or after 30
months after the entry into force of
the Convention (26 December 2027).
Not later than five years after the entry
"Existing ship" means a ship which is into force of the Convention: 25 June
Existing ship
not a new ship. 2030, or before going for recycling if
this is earlier

(c) The hazardous materials subject to Part I of the inventory (IHM), are as given in the
Table A and Table B below.
Table A: Hazardous materials listed in Appendix 1 of the Convention
Asbestos, Ozone Depleting Substance,Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), Organotin compounds
which act as biocides in anti-fouling systems, and Cybutryne in anti-fouling systems

Table B: Hazardous materials listed in Appendix 2 of the Convention

Cadmium and Cadmium Compounds, Hexavalent Chromium and Hexavalent Chromium
Compounds, Lead and Lead Compounds, Mercury and Mercury Compounds, Polybrominated
Biphenyl (PBBs), Polybrominated Dephenyl ethers (PBDEs), Polychloronaphthalenes (Cl >= 3),
Radioactive Substances, and Certain Shortchain Chlorinated Paraffins

(To be continued)

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(d) Part I of the inventory (IHM) for a new ship is developed by the shipbuilder at the
time of construction. Verification of the existence of hazard materials onboard should
be carried out by collecting the Material Declaration (MD) and Supplier's Declaration
of Conformity (SDoC) from suppliers, i.e., manufacturers, which is called the new-
ship method. We have developed a system called PrimeShip-GREEN/SRM to assist
in the process of developing an inventory using the new-ship method. You can register
for the service from https://www.psgreensrm.com/.
(e) For existing ships, the existing-ship method may be applied, which Part I of the
inventory (IHM) may be developed with hazmat expert investigation and analysis, as
an alternative to the new-ship method where the new-ship method is not feasible.
(f) Part I of the inventory (IHM) shall be properly maintained and updated throughout
the ship's operational life to reflect any changes in the location and quantities of the
hazardous materials resulting from new installations containing hazardous materials
and relevant changes in the ship's structure and equipment. The shipowner verifies
whether the hazardous materials are present on board by collecting the Material
Declaration (MD) and Supplier's Declaration of Conformity (SDoC) from the supplier.

It is the responsibility of the shipowner to establish a system for the maintenance of Part I of the
inventory (IHM) and to properly maintain and update Part I of the inventory (IHM). Shipowners should
implement the following measures in order to ensure the conformity of Part I of the inventory (IHM).

(1) to designate a person as responsible for maintaining and updating the inventory (IHM)
(i.e. to assign the designate person on procedural manual);
(2) the designated person should establish and supervise a system to ensure the necessary updating
of the inventory (IHM) in the event of new installation (i.e. to draw up a procedural manual);
(3) to maintain the inventory (IHM) including dates of changes or new deleted entries and the
signature of the designated person; and
(4) to provide related documents as required for the survey or sale of the ship.

An example of the procedural manual can be found on our website. The URL shown on the last page of
this TEC.

(g) Parts II and III of the inventory (IHM) are developed by the shipowner prior to
recycling. The shipowner completes the inventory (IHM) by adding Part II and III to
the Part I, which has been properly maintained and updated.

(2) Surveys and certification

The kind of survey and certification required for a ship are listed below.

(To be continued)

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(i) Initial Survey:

The first survey before the ship is put into service, or the first survey for an existing ship
before the International Certificate on Inventory of Hazardous Materials is issued. This
survey shall verify that Part I of the inventory (IHM) is in accordance with the
requirements of the Convention. Once the survey has been completed, the International
Certificate on Inventory of Hazardous Materials is issued.
(ii) Renewal Survey:
The survey that shall be carried out at intervals not exceeding five years. This survey shall
verify that Part I of the inventory (IHM) complies with the requirements of the Convention.
Once the survey has been completed, the International Certificate on Inventory of
Hazardous Materials is issued.
(iii) Additional Survey:
As needed, this survey may be carried out at the request of the shipowner after a change,
replacement, or significant repair of the structure, equipment, systems, fittings,
arrangements, and material. The survey shall be carried out in such a way as to verify that
a ship complies with the requirements of the Convention and Part I of the inventory (IHM)
after such a change, replacement, or significant repair and that Part I of the inventory
(IHM) has been updated, accordingly. Once the survey has been completed, the
International Certificate on Inventory of Hazardous Materials is endorsed.
(iv) Final Survey:
The survey shall be carried out prior to the ship being taken out of service and before the
recycling of the ship has started. The main points to be verified are the followings.
(a) The inventory of hazardous materials - Parts I, II and III - meets the requirements of
the Convention.
(b) The ship recycling plan developed by the ship recycling facility complies with the
requirements of the Convention and has been approved by the competent
authority(ies), i.e., the recycling state(s).
(c) The ship recycling facility(ies) where the ship is to be recycled holds a valid
authorization in accordance with this Convention.
Once the survey has been completed, the ship is issued with an International Ready for
Recycling Certificate.
(v) Occasional Survey:
The Convention does not define an occasional survey. However, our society occasionally
carries out a survey which does not fall under a scope of the additional survey, as an
occasional survey at the time of a change of the name of the ship, flag administration,
company, etc.

4 Procedures for recycling a ship

Ships destined for recycling and to which the Convention applies shall be recycled only at ship
recycling facilities authorized by the competent authority(ies) of the recycling state(s) in accordance
with the Convention. Please draw your attention to the following steps required to recycle a ship.

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(1) A shipowner shall notify the flag administration in due time and in writing of the intention to
recycle a ship to enable the administration to prepare for the survey and certification required
by this Convention. (Reg.24 of the Annex to the Convention)
(2) Shipowner shall complete the inventory (IHM) by properly maintaining and updating Part I of
the inventory (IHM) and developing both Part II (Operationally Generated Wastes) and Part
III (Stores). (Reg.5 and Regulation 8 of the Annex to the Convention)
(3) Ship recycling facility(ies) shall develop a ship-specific ship recycling plan, taking the
inventory (IHM) completed by the shipowner into consideration. (Reg.9 of the Annex to the
Convention)
(4) Ship recycling facility(ies) shall notify the competent authority(ies) of the recycling state(s) in
writing that it is preparing to receive a ship for recycling and shall submit the ship recycling
plan. (Reg. 24 of the Annex to the Convention)
(5) Competent authority(ies) of the recycling state(s) shall review and approve the ship recycling
plan. Tacit approval of the ship recycling plan may be deemed to have been given if no written
objection to the plan has been issued by the authority(ies) within the end date of a 14-day
review period specified on the acknowledgement of the ship recycling plan. (Reg.9 of the
Annex to the Convention)
(6) Ship recycling facility(ies) shall provide a shipowner with the ship recycling plan that has been
approved by the competent authority(ies) of the recycling state(s). The shipowner shall undergo
a final survey either by the flag administration, or the recognized organizations authorized by
the flag administration based on the approved plan and the completed inventory (IHM). Upon
the final survey completed, the ship is issued with an International Ready for Recycling
Certificate. (Reg.10 and Reg.11 of the Annex to the Convention)
(7) Ship recycling facility(ies) shall report the competent authority(ies) of the recycling state(s) in
writing of the planned start date of the ship recycling, using the form of Appendix 6, together
with a copy of the International Ready for Recycling Certificate. (Reg.24 of the Annex to the
Convention)
(8) Ship recycling facility(ies) shall issue a statement of completion using the form of Appendix 7
and submit it to the competent authority(ies) of the recycling state(s) within fourteen (14) days
from the date of partial and complete ship recycling. The competent authority(ies) shall send a
copy of the statement of completion to the flag administration. (Reg.25 of the Annex to the
Convention)

5 Replacement of an existing Statement of Compliance

It is necessary to replace an existing Statement of Compliance on Inventory of Hazardous Materials
(SoC) with an International Certificate on Inventory of Hazardous Materials. We will follow the
policy of the flag administrations. As soon as we receive updated information about their policies,
we will notify it on our website.

(To be continued)

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 ClassNK Technical Information No. TEC-1311

The latest information on instructions in relation to the requirements of the Ship Recycling Convention,
including the status of the delegation of authority, is available on the following ClassNK website.
https://www.classnk.or.jp/hp/en/activities/statutory/shiprecycle/index.html

For any questions about the above, please contact:

[For questions on the inventory and compliance to statutory requirements]

NIPPON KAIJI KYOKAI (ClassNK)
Ship Management Systems Department, Administration Center, Head Office
Address: 4-7 Kioi-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8567, Japan
Tel.: +81-3-5226-2076
Fax: +81-3-5226-2174
E-mail: [email protected]

[For questions on ship recycling facilities]

NIPPON KAIJI KYOKAI (ClassNK)
Transportation and Logistics Department, Administration Center, Head Office
Address: 4-7 Kioi-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8567, Japan
Tel.: +81-3-5226-2054
Fax: +81-3-5226-2037
E-mail: ltd-sr @classnk.or.jp