DNV GL ADDITIONAL RULES AND GUIDELINES VI-12-2 PDF

The “Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, 2009”¹(denoted as “the Convention” in the following) will change some aspects of shipbuilding, ship operations, repair, conversions, and ship recycling practices once it has entered into force. The life cycle of ships is becoming more and more regulated with the aim of assuring safe and environmentally sound practices for the dismantling and disposal of obsolete ships. The life-cycle approach has been identified as the most promising way of reaching this goal and it therefore forms the core of the new legally binding instrument of IMO. The Convention addresses inter alia “taking care of hazardous and other materials” contained in ships, as further specified in the “Guidelines for the Development of the Inventory of Hazardous Materials” ². These materials have to be identified by those capable of obtaining the required information – the suppliers and shipbuilders for new ships, and shipowners with the support of hazardous material experts for existing ships, respectively.

In order to permit safe and environmentally sound ship recycling, requirements have been defined and the scope has been chosen to reach from “cradle to grave”. This has to be considered in an early stage of a ship’s life cycle for effectively fulfilling the requirements and assuring compliance at date of delivery of a new ship or for existing ships prior to recycling, however, at the latest within five years after entry into force of the Convention.

Shipyards have to collect and evaluate material information from their suppliers for the preparation of the ship-specific Inventory of Hazardous Materials for new ships. In the case of existing ships, the shipowner has to involve a hazardous material expert for the preparation of the ship-specific Inventory of Hazardous Materials. Later, the Inventory of Hazardous Materials has to be updated by the shipowner if any changes on board have an effect on the scope of the IHM, before it is to be used for planning of the ship recycling steps and processes.

The related procedures for gathering information and the forms required for preparation of the Inventory of Hazardous Materials are described in these Rules with a view to assuring a unified and effective implementation.

¹ IMO - SR/CONF/45

² IMO - Resolution MEPC.197(62)