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Basel Convention offers shipscrapping guidelines to IMO

During the 6th Convention of Parties in December 2002 technical guidelines for environmentally sound management of the full and partial dismantling of ships were adopted. These guidelines are advisory in nature for shipbreaking nations to improve the environmental performance of facilities involved in the breaking of ships.

Greenpeace welcomes the guidelines because immediate improvements at the shipbreaking yards are needed. At the same time Greenpeace warns for unequally divided tasks and responsibilities between shipowners and shipbreaking countries. While poor countries carry the burden of all the hazardous substances on board the ships, the shipowners gain huge profits by selling the dirty ships. "Basel can not push the poorest countries towards implementation of technical guidelines if simultaneously mandatory regulations on the preparations on ships-for-scrap are not developed", says Marietta Harjono of Greenpeace Netherlands.

So it is now up to the IMO and the shipowners to do their part, something they refuse to do up to now. But both the IMO and the shipowners they can not longer deny their responsibilities as the Basel Parties have agreed 'by decision' that the hazardous materials on a ships should be removed prior to export, to arrival and to cutting of a ship at a shipbreaking yard. This prior-decontamination recommendation is agreed under the preparatory procedures that should be implemented on the End of Life Vessel prior to its voyage to dismantling.

Read the complete guidelines