"LONDON - An international accord on recycling ships is set to begin within 24 months after Bangladesh and Liberia became the latest countries to ratify the accord, officials said on Monday.
The Hong Kong convention, a treaty set up by UN shipping agency the International Maritime Organization (IMO), is aimed at ensuring that ships, when being recycled after reaching the end of their operational lives, did not pose any unnecessary risks to human health, safety and to the environment.
Much of the world's ship breaking takes place at sites across south Asia in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan and involves dangerous manual labour where workers dismantle ships and are exposed to toxic substances.
Working conditions still remain perilous, including fires and falling steel plates, which kill or seriously injure workers across the breaker yards in South Asia, according to analysis from campaigners with NGO Shipbreaking Platform, which monitors conditions at sites."
Jonathan Saul and Ruma Paul report for Reuters June 26, 2023.
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