The Health and Social Affairs Committee of the Shura Council this (Tuesday) morning discussed the draft Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, referred by the Government to the Council. The discussion took place during the Committee’s meeting with a number of specialists from the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology and the Environment Authority. The aim was to examine the technical, economic, environmental and legislative aspects of the draft Convention, and to hear the views and observations of the entities concerned on its provisions and the requirements for accession.

At the start of the meeting, Hamed Al Sawakhiroon, Chairman of the Committee, welcomed the specialists from both entities. He stressed the importance of hosting the bodies concerned with the draft Convention, describing it as a step that enriches the Committee’s discussions and clarifies the technical, economic and environmental grounds on which each entity relies. This, he said, strengthens the comprehensiveness of the study and the accuracy of the assessment before the Committee takes a position on the draft Convention.
He noted that the Convention is important because of the investment and economic opportunities it may offer, and the effects that accession could have on Oman’s logistics and industrial sectors. Oman’s strategic location and strengths position it to benefit from activities linked to maritime services and supporting industries. At the same time, he stressed that environmental considerations must be given due attention, given the nature of ship recycling and the risks it may carry from hazardous materials and industrial waste. He emphasised the need to balance economic and investment requirements with environmental conditions, so as to reach an integrated, objective basis for studying the draft Convention.
During the meeting, the specialists from the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology gave an overview of the draft Hong Kong Convention. They covered its background and main objectives, the importance of accession, and its expected benefits and economic feasibility. They also outlined the opportunities it could create for developing ship recycling activities, improving the efficiency of the logistics and industrial sector, and creating an environment that attracts investment in this field, in line with the relevant international standards and controls.


For their part, the specialists from the Environment Authority presented their views on the environmental aspects of the Convention. They noted that dismantling and recycling ships raises challenges that call for clear controls and monitoring procedures, particularly in handling hazardous materials, managing waste from dismantling, and limiting potential impacts on the marine and terrestrial environment, on workers’ health and on communities near recycling sites. They also stressed the need to take environmental requirements into account when studying the Convention’s provisions, and to verify that preventive and precautionary measures are in place to ensure it is implemented safely and in an environmentally sound manner.
In this context, the meeting reviewed a number of the draft Convention’s articles and provisions, and discussed the obligations that would fall on States Parties upon accession. The Committee drew on the Authority’s views and observations on several articles, and on whether they are consistent with environmental protection requirements and the reduction of risks from ship recycling activities. The Ministry’s specialists provided clarifications and technical justifications for those articles, outlining the regulatory and operational dimensions the Convention seeks to address and the measures needed to apply its provisions in line with the approved international standards.
The discussion also covered the legislative implications of accession, and how the Convention’s provisions would affect existing national legislation on maritime transport, environmental protection, and the management of waste and hazardous materials. It also considered whether certain laws, regulations and regulatory procedures need to be aligned in order to meet international obligations. Committee members discussed with the specialists the technical and implementation aspects of establishing the institutional and monitoring structure needed to apply the Convention. These include the requirements for supervising ship recycling facilities, and the mechanisms for verifying compliance with environmental, health and occupational standards.
The discussions stressed that the Convention should be seen as an international framework regulating the whole ship recycling cycle through a set of technical and monitoring requirements. Its provisions are not limited to dismantling ships and disposing of their components. They also extend to ship design, construction and operation, preparing ships for recycling, and regulating the work of specialised facilities. Participants also stressed the need to take into account the use or restriction of certain hazardous materials, and the requirement for ships to keep an inventory of the hazardous materials on board. Ships must also meet survey and certification requirements, and recycling facilities must be authorised and monitored, in order to protect workers’ safety and the marine and terrestrial environment.
The Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships was adopted in May 2009 under the auspices of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). It is one of the key international frameworks regulating the ship recycling sector, and entered into force on 26 June 2025 after the necessary international conditions were met. The Convention responds to the environmental, health and occupational challenges that can arise 


when ships are dismantled at the end of their operational life, and to the hazardous materials they may contain, such as asbestos, heavy metals, hydrocarbons and other components that require special handling and disposal methods.
The Convention aims to set unified international standards that ensure ships are recycled in qualified and licensed facilities, according to defined plans and procedures that safeguard workers and protect the environment. It also seeks to strengthen monitoring, inspection, documentation and the issuing of relevant certificates. In addition, it supports sustainable practices in the maritime sector, promotes the use of reusable and recyclable materials, and reduces unsafe practices that may pollute the environment or endanger human health.
It is worth noting that the Convention is an important step towards strengthening environmental governance in the maritime transport sector. It unifies the standards governing ship recycling and allocates responsibilities among States, shipowners and recycling facilities, contributing to a more sustainable maritime industry and reducing the environmental and health risks associated with this activity.
The meeting was chaired by Hamed Al Sawakhiroon, and attended by the Committee’s members.