Chittagong shipyard gets first HKC Statement of Compliance

PHP Family, a recycling yard located in Chittagong, Bangladesh, has just received a Statement of Compliance (SOC) under the Hong Kong Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships (HKC) from international Classification Society RINA. This is an important development towards a more sustainable ship recycling industry, raising the bar in the standards for the sector in Bangladesh, according to ship recycling cash buyer GMS.

Dr Anil Sharma, President and CEO of GMS, commented:

    “PHP Family yard has worked hard to improve their safety and environmental standards by following successfully the HKC guidelines, which are enabling the whole ship recycling industry to achieve sustainable goals for ship recycling. We sincerely hope that this great achievement will attract more shipowners to yards that are endorsing Responsible Ship Recycling and lead as an example for the rest in Bangladesh”.

Furthermore, a decision is awaited for the yards that are outside the EU and have applied for inclusion in the EU approved list of recycling facilities.

According to Dr. Mikelis, Non-Executive Director of GMS, these yards have already Statements of Compliance with the HKC so they have proven that they meet the high safety and environmental standards laid out in the HKC through significant investment, training and development within the region.

    “Excluding these yards would create an insurmountable divide within the industry based solely on their geographic location, and threaten to halt the positive progress made by the HKC in South Asia,” he noted.

At the moment, there are over 45 recycling yards in Alang, India that have received a SOC with HKC from international class societies, and another 15 yards working towards it, which means that almost 50% of the active recycling facilities in India have met the standards set by the HKC guidelines, Mr. Mikelis informed.

    “This is a most encouraging development that must be acknowledged and supported by the international shipping community”.