Norway has agreed NOK 14M (US$1.5M) to support the third phase of IMO’s Safe and Environmentally Sound Ship Recycling in Bangladesh (SENSREC) project
The agreement between IMO and the Government of Norway to support Phase III of the project was signed on 24 July 2020 by IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim and the Norwegian ambassador to Bangladesh, Sidsel Bleken.
The project was implemented to enhance safe and environmentally sound ship recycling in Bangladesh and help the nation towards becoming a party to the IMO Hong Kong Convention treaty on safe ship recycling.
The Agreement follows the successful implementation of Phase I (2015-17) and Phase II (2018 - 2020) of the SENSREC Project, both mainly funded by Norway. With the additional funding, Phase III of the project will be implemented over 18 months, starting from November 2020.
SENSREC Phase III will focus on improving ship recycling standards in compliance with the Hong Kong Convention and enhancing capacity building for the Government of Bangladesh on legislation and knowledge management. Bangladesh will be provided with specific technical assistance to establish a facility for treatment, storage and disposal of hazardous wastes. IMO said there will be a special focus on evaluating the impact of Covid-19 on the ship recycling industry in Bangladesh.
Commenting on the progress of the SENSREC project Ambassador Bleken, said "Through IMO, [Norway] will continue to support the authorities, the industry, and other stakeholders in strengthening their efforts to develop Bangladesh’s ship-recycling industry and the country’s economy. We hope to see more yards complying with the requirements of the Hong Kong Convention, so that Bangladesh can be ready to accede to the convention in the soonest possible time."
Chittagong is the world’s largest ship breaking centre, and ship breaking in Bangladesh is notoriously dangerous. The Hong Kong Convention covers the design, construction, operation and maintenance of ships to ensure safe recycling methods.
Ships will be required to carry an inventory of hazardous materials (IHM) on board and recycling facilities must provide a ’Ship Recycling Plan’, specifying how each ship will be recycled, based on its particular characteristics and IHM.
While 15 nations to date have ratified the Hong Kong Convention only two – India and Turkey – of the biggest ship recycling countries in the world have ratified the Convention.
Ship recycling will be discussed in depth during Riviera’s Ship Recycling Webinar Week, starting 15 September 2020; use this link for more details and to register for the webinars
© 2023 Riviera Maritime Media Ltd.