IMO REVIEWING SHIP SCRAPPING

The International Labor Organization and the Conference of Parties to the Basel Convention on the Control of Trans-boundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Disposal concluded its first meeting at IMO headquarters in London. The focus of the meeting was spent establishing ways that organizations will cooperate regarding ship scrapping.

The second meeting of the Group will take place in December 2005 or January 2006. The meeting will focus on issues such as environmentally sound management; health and safety of workers; possible roles of concerned States; reporting requirements; pre-cleaning and preparation of ships and its role in sustainable ship scrapping operations; the abandonment of ships on land or in ports; and the potential benefits of a mandatory ship recycling plan.

http://www.imo.org/Newsroom/mainframe.asp?topic_id=1018&doc_id=4712

Greenpeace and the Basel Action Network condemned the IMO meeting as an utter failure, saying the event was hijacked by the shipping industry interests. According to environmentalists, the IMO delegates allied with the shipping industry, effectively blocking most of the recommendations made by Basel delegates or non-governmental organizations. Jim Puckett of the Basel Action Network believes that solutions may not come from the IMO, but rather from the "163 countries who made a commitment to the Basel Convention principle of minimizing trans-boundary movement of hazardous waste through pre-cleaning, strict controls, and the promotion of green ship design.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0502/S00503.htm