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GOOD TO KNOW
Maritime
Headlines
Hong Kong Convention
for the Safe and
Environmentally Sound
Recycling of Ships enters
into force
#shiprecycling
The Hong Kong International Convention for stripped of equipment or being towed”. Upon more. According to the convention, these
the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recy- entry into force, this convention will become ships must obtain a valid International Cer-
cling of Ships (the Hong Kong Convention) applicable to offshore vessels registered with tificate on Inventory of Hazardous Materi-
has received sufficient ratification to enact a signatory country or operating under the als (IHM) within 5 years of the convention’s
its entry into force, and it will enter into authority of a signatory country. entry into force or before being sent for
force on June 26, 2025. recycling, whichever comes first.
Therefore, owners and operators should be
Under the Hong Kong Convention, a “ship” is mindful of this new requirement for certifi- The document also discusses the key
defined as “a vessel of any type whatsoever cation, as it is related to their current flag changes introduced by the 2023 Guidelines
operating or having operated in the marine registration and potential operating areas. for the Development of the IHM, reporting
environment, and includes submersibles, requirements, compliance actions, and
floating craft, floating platforms, self-el- This Regulatory News provides guidance on potential enforcement measures for ship
evating platforms, Floating Storage Units the Hong Kong Convention, highlighting the operators (IMO Resolution MEPC.378 (80)).
(FSUs), and Floating Production Storage and requirements for new ships and existing
Offloading Units (FPSOs), including a vessel ships with a gross tonnage (GT) of 500 or Source: International Maritime Organisation
EMSA Annual Review The number of casualties and incidents in 2022
of Marine Casualties is 5.1% under the annual average and under
the average of 2,670 occurrences before the
and Incidents Report pandemic. Moreover, after a peak of 106 very
serious casualties reported in 2018 and a total
shows that 2022 of 75 in 2019, the number of very serious ma-
rine casualties was 51 in 2020, 58 in 2021 and 44
was a positive year in 2022, confirming the reduction in the trend.
In 2022, the total number of ships involved
#marinecasualties in marine casualties and incidents was 2,701,
decreasing 212 ships in comparison with 2021
The latest edition of the Annual Overview and 94 ships in 2020. This decreasing trend
of Marine Casualties and Incidents, shows applies to cargo ships and fishing vessels.
that 2022 was a positive year in terms of the
reduction or stabilisation of many accident The Overview presents statistics on marine
indicators, such as the number of occur- casualties and incidents which involved
rences, ships lost, fatalities or injuries. In ships flying the flag of one of the EU Mem-
2022, 2,510 marine casualties and incidents ber States, occurred within EU Member
were reported, representing a reduction States’ territorial sea or internal waters as
of 182 marine casualties and incidents defined in UNCLOS, or involved substantial
in comparison with the year 2021 and 84 interests of EU Member States, as reported
marine casualties and incidents in compar- by Member States in the EU database for
ison with the year 2020. Overall, the total maritime incidents EMCIP (European Ma-
number of marine casualties and incidents rine Casualty Information Platform).
reported in the period from 2014 to 2022
was 23,814 with an annual average of 2,646. Source: European Maritime Safety Agency
6 MINERVA IN FOCUS – ISSUE 26 / Q4 2023