Answer
The Hong Kong Convention is a 'cradle-to-grave' regulation designed for all commercial ships of 500 GT and above on international voyages, their owners, shipbuilders, and authorized ship recycling facilities. Its core objective is to ensure that end-of-life vessels are dismantled without posing unnecessary risks to human health, worker safety, or the marine environment.
Here is how you should structure your answer for the MMD surveyor:
1. Scope of Application (Which Ships?)
The convention applies to:
Ships entitled to fly the flag of a Party (a State that has ratified the convention).
Ships of 500 Gross Tonnage (GT) and above engaged on international voyages.
Ship Recycling Facilities operating under the jurisdiction of a Party.
Key Exemptions (Who it is NOT made for):
Warships, naval auxiliaries, or other ships owned or operated by a State and used only on government non-commercial service.
Ships operating strictly within domestic waters (though individual Flag States, like India, apply similar domestic standards via their own legislation, such as the Recycling of Ships Act).
2. The Stakeholders Involved ("Cradle to Grave" Approach)
The HKC is uniquely designed to place shared responsibility on multiple maritime stakeholders throughout a ship's entire life cycle:
A. Shipowners and Management Companies
Must maintain an Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM) Part I throughout the ship's operational life.
Must ensure the vessel is only sent to an authorized Ship Recycling Facility.
Must provide the recycling yard with ship-specific information to develop a Ship Recycling Plan (SRP).
B. Shipbuilders / Shipyards
Prohibited from installing hazardous materials (like asbestos, Ozone Depleting Substances, PCBs, etc.) listed in Appendix 1 of the convention during construction or repairs.
C. Ship Recycling Facilities (The Yards)
Must be authorized by their competent authorities (receiving a Document of Authorization for Ship Recycling - DASR).
Must ensure worker health and safety (PPE, training, medical monitoring) and prevent environmental pollution (safe handling of heavy metals, hydrocarbons, and asbestos).
D. Flag States, Port States, and Recycling States
Flag States: Responsible for surveying vessels and issuing the International Certificate on Inventory of Hazardous Materials (ICIHM) and the Ready for Recycling Certificate.
Port State Control (PSC): Authorized to verify that incoming ships carry a valid IHM certificate.
Recycling States: Responsible for authorizing and auditing the recycling yards within their borders.