BIMCO has launched a Ship Recycling Alliance ahead of next June’s implementation of the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships (HKC), picking a ship demo veteran to chair the new body.
“Part of the ship recycling industry is already trying to live up to the HKC standards ahead of its entry into force. To succeed in having our ships recycled responsibly and safely for people and the environment, we need all stakeholders to engage and step up pace. The Ship Recycling Alliance will connect stakeholders, advise regulators and create awareness among the public,” said BIMCO’s secretary general and CEO, David Loosley.
“It is high time for an initiative like the Ship Recycling Alliance to be launched and put to work. We need an alliance that can formulate and represent the views of the international ship recycling industry and connect that with all other stakeholders involved. Doing so, we strongly believe we can move forward and fuel progress,” said Dr Nikos Mikelis, non-executive director of GMS, former head of ship recycling at the International Maritime Organization and the chair of the new alliance.
The founding members of the alliance are BIMCO, the Bangladesh Ship Breakers and Recyclers Association (BSBRA), the Turkish Ship Recycling Industry Association (GEMISANDER), global cash buyer GMS, ship recycling services’ company Guideship, Pakistan Ship Breakers and Recyclers Association (PSBRA), the Ship Recycling Industries Association of India (SRIA), the International Ship Recycling Association (ISRA), global cash buyer Wirana and Indian ship recycling group, Bansal Group.
Members can be representatives of ship recycling associations, individual ship recycling facilities, cash buyers, financial institutions and shipowners among others.