Countdown to compliance: Are shipowners ready for the Hong Kong Convention?

With the Hong Kong Convention (HKC) coming into effect on June 26, 2025, the clock is ticking for shipowners who need to ensure compliance with regulatory controls and inspections concerning the recycling of their end-of-life vessels, Norway-based classification society DNV has stressed.

In its new guidance paper“Safe and Green Recycling for Ship Owners”, DNV highlighted that the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships (HKC) is a ‘big’ step toward safer and more sustainable shipping practices, particularly with the fact that thousands of vessels are scheduled to be recycled by 2032.

Though it enters force in June this year, the Hong Kong Convention requires full compliance by 2030. It is understood that twenty-four countries and the four largest recycling nations by tonnage—India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Türkiye—have ratified the HKC.

As explained, vessels that need to comply must have an inventory of hazardous materials (IHM) for Parts I together with an onboard survey before being granted an international IHM certificate. Per DNV, the end-of-life unit has to