To obtain an RfRC, the ship owner first needs to prepare IHM Parts II and III and find a ship recycling facility listed in the European List. The ship owner shall send IHM Parts II and III to the respective ship recycling facility, together with the up-to-date IHM Part I, so that ship-specific Ship Recycling Plan (SRP) can be prepared by the ship recycling facility.
Once the SRP is ready, the ship owner shall request a final survey from the ship’s flag or from an Recognized Organization for the verification of the following:
- Up-to-date IHM Part I, and approved IHM Parts II and III, have been prepared by the ship owner and are on board
- The approved SRP by the competent authority of the ship recycling facility, is on board and has been developed taking into account the hazmats listed in the IHM
- The agreed ship recycling facility is in the European List / UK List
The Hong Kong Convention will enter into force in June 2025. Until then, end-of-life ships are still regulated by the Basel Convention in international waters. The Basel Ban amendment, which enters into force on 5 December 2019, requires that end-of-life ships from EU/OECD countries can only be recycled in EU/OECD countries.
Similarly, the EU Waste Shipment Regulation requires that even though flying a flag of a third party, a ship shall only be sent to EU/EEA/OECD countries for recycling if leaving from one of the EU/EEA ports.
