Ship recyclers in Bangladesh have come together to look at best practices for hazardous waste management ahead of the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships (HKC) entering into force on 26 June 2025.
The technical workshop, held in Chittagong (19-20 February) under IMO’s SENSREC project, focused on new, upcoming technical guidance on the treatment, storage and disposal of hazardous waste generated from ship recycling.
When published, the guidance report will detail best practices for dealing with hazardous waste, both within ship recycling yards and in downstream treatment, storage and disposal facilities. These measures are based on the experience drawn from across the globe, including technical guidance on hazardous waste and pollutants from the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions (BRS).
Ninety-five participants from supervisory and operational roles representing Bangladesh’s main ship recycling facilities were in attendance at the workshop. These future end users of the Guidance were apprised of the main technical aspects of hazardous materials, inspection monitoring and compliance, the need for training and capacity development as well as emergency preparedness and response measures.
SENSREC is a capacity building project of the IMO, with funding from the Government of Norway. The project aims to assist developing countries in implementation of the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships.