RECALLING Article 15(j) of the Convention on the International
Maritime Organization concerning the functions of the Assembly in
relation to regulations and guidelines concerning maritime safety,
the prevention and control of marine pollution from ships and other
matters concerning the effect of shipping on the marine environment,
NOTING the growing concerns about environmental safety,
health and welfare matters in the ship recycling industry, and the
need to reduce the environmental, occupational health and safety risks
related to ship recycling and, at the same time, securing the smooth
withdrawal of ships that have reached the end of their operating lives,
NOTING ALSO the roles of the International Labour Organization,
the Basel Convention and other stakeholders in ship recycling,
HAVING CONSIDERED the Technical Guidelines for the Environmentally
Sound Management of the Full and Partial Dismantling of Ships, adopted
by the Sixth Meeting of the Conference of Parties to the Basel Convention,
and the Guidelines on Safety and Health in Shipbreaking, developed
by the International Labour Organization (ILO),
HAVING CONSIDERED ALSO the Code of Practice on Ship Recycling
developed by the shipping industry to establish a body of best practice
for shipping companies to adopt in respect of ships destined for recycling,
RECOGNIZING that, in order to contribute towards improvements
in ship recycling, it is necessary to consider the ship throughout
its life cycle,
RECOGNIZING ALSO that the use of hazardous materials should
be minimized in the design, construction and maintenance of ships,
without compromising their safety and operational efficiency, and
that there is a need to prepare ships for recycling in such a manner
as to reduce environmental and safety risks and health and welfare
concerns as far as practicable,
HAVING CONSIDERED the recommendation made by the Marine
Environment Protection Committee at its forty-ninth session,
1. ADOPTS the IMO Guidelines on Ship Recycling
set out in the annex to the present resolution;
2. INVITES Governments to take urgent action to
apply the annexed Guidelines, including the dissemination thereof
to the shipping and ship recycling industries, and to report to the
Marine Environment Protection Committee on any experience gained in
their implementation;
3. REQUESTS the Marine Environment Protection
Committee to keep this matter under review with a view to further
developing the Guidelines in the future;
4. REQUESTS FURTHER that the Marine Environment
Protection Committee consider the most appropriate means to promote
the implementation of the Guidelines, including a review of the progress
made in achieving their intended purpose;
5. URGES the Marine Environment Protection Committee
to continue co-operating with the International Labour Organization
and the appropriate bodies of the Basel Convention in this field and
to encourage the involvement of other stakeholders.