THE Asian Shipowners' Association has been holding talks with the International Chamber of Shipping and the European Community Shipowners' Association (ECSA) fearing an EU levy on all ships entering Europe to induce shipowners to scrap ships in a more expensive, eco-friendly way.

The Asian Shipowners' Association is also urging its members to ratify the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships (HKC) "at the earliest opportunity."

"We need only one policy, and the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships is backed by the International Maritime Organisation," said Association of Chinese Shipowners secretary general Bob Hsu.

The Hong Kong Convention is aimed at ensuring that ships, when being recycled after reaching the end of their operational lives, do not pose any unnecessary risk to human health and safety or to the environment.

Most ships are scrapped in lesser developed countries, while the EU Ship Recycling Regulation includes a list of recycling facilities where EU-flagged vessels must be scrapped.

But guidelines in practice make it extremely challenging for these poor country breakers yards to be recognised under EU Regulation, say shipowners.

For one, these yards need to ensure safe working conditions, pollution control including proper downstream waste management and the enforcement of international labour rights, said environmental groups.

"Anyone can hand out Statements of Compliance [or SOCs] to ship breaking yards claiming they operate in line with the convention. While some certifiers act with more diligence, others have started to offer cheaper and quicker certifications," said NGO Shipbreaking Platform's executive director Patrizia Heidegger.