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India and Turkey want IMO to set up mandatory regime for shipbreaking

London, November 26, 2003 - At the General Assembly of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Turkey and India showed leadership by calling for mandatory measures from the IMO on shipbreaking. Both countries have recently been confronted with various cases in which ships containing hazardous substances arrived at their repective national territiories. The proposal will be negotiated further at the IMO's Assembly meeting the coming days.

At the General Assembly guidelines developed under the auspices of the Marine Environmental Protection Committee were up for discussion and agreement. The guidelines that have been developed call for voluntary measures that seek co-operation from shipowners to take the necessary measures to prevent pollution and accidents related to shipbeaking.

For two years now the shipping industry has promoted voluntary measures. The recent visits by Greenpeace to the shipbreaking yards in Bangladesh and India show that these voluntary measures are not all adhered to by shipowners. Where shipowners have agreed to provide an inventory of hazardous substances on board of a vessel, no such inventories were present at the ships delivered at shipbreaking yards.

This proves that voluntary measures will not work and will not help to prevent the pollution and accidents related to shipbreaking. The proposal from Turkey and India to set up a mandatory regime on shipbreaking reflects this.

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